Can You Save Me?
by colormenikki
Summary: Post-Movie. A strange pink haired woman lands on Tony's car while a new, seemingly unbeatable villain arises that makes the Avengers think they have met their match. What they don't know is that all the chaos is only getting started. Bruce/OC
1. Chapter 1

Hello, all! I've been patiently waiting for the Avengers tag to appear so I could post this and after much procrastination, I've posted it! Hopefully you all enjoy it as much as I do. This is set post-movie with an established team who live together, like in the comics. I'm a huge fan of the comics so most of my information will come from them. Do forgive me if there are any mistakes, I've looked this over seven times but ya'll know how eyes can miss things! Reviews are wonderful and mean the world to me. Enjoy chapter one :]

**Disclaimer**: **We all know that I do not own any of the characters from the Marvel Universe, sadly. I only own the plot idea and the original character.**

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_"Can you save me from this nothing I've become?  
__It's just something that I've done.  
__Never meant to cause you worry."_

"_Authorities say that no one was injured in the lab explosion that happened two days ago at the Acme Corporations plant in Brooklyn. The President of Acme Corp. and several workers still have not been located, but no traces were found at the scene. Civilians are still advised to stay away from the area as there is still police activi-"_

Tony switched off the radio. He was sure that Pepper was going to kill him this time. It was a miracle that she hadn't already, really. After all the _shit_ that he'd put her through he wondered every single day why she still stuck around.

He smirked, _Because I'm Tony Stark. Of course._

Then he frowned. But she was _actually_ going to kill him today.

He'd never been on time for anything before. _Ever_. Well, as far back as he can remember. At least back to the time when he stopped caring about what people thought about him, which was a long time ago, by the way. But today, of all days, he was going to be late. And he hadn't even _tried_ to be late! He actually attempted to be _early_! Traffic would be the death of him. Well, Pep would be, but traffic would be an accessory to murder, at least. He honked his horn impatiently.

"You'd think me being a genius billionaire would mean I wouldn't _have_ to wait in traffic," he sighed. "But I guess that's just not how it works. Jarvis, how long until we reach the restaurant?"

"_Approximately thirty minutes from now," _Jarvis replied.

Tony slammed his head onto the steering wheel. _Great_, he thought. _One year anniversary with Pep and I'm going to be _late.

Just then something crashed onto the hood of his car and the airbag deployed, effectively shooting burning powder into his face. He coughed and sputtered and tried to ignore the searing burning sensation in his lungs and the pain in his face from the bag. While attempting to stuff the airbag back in, or at least get it _away from him_, he called out to Jarvis.

"What the hell was that?"

"_A human being has just landed on your hood, sir."_

"WHAT."

Tony scrambled out of the car, marveling at the fact that he wasn't as injured as he thought he'd be, and peered over his open door to look at his now obliterated hood. His poor, poor Bentley...

He slowly walked around to inspect the damage and see this supposed 'human being' who had just fallen from the sky and ruined his perfectly good car. People were talking loudly around him, snapping pictures on their cellphones, calling 911, generally just being in the way and nosey. But they _had_ a reason to be nosey. Surely enough there was a human being embedded into Tony's car's hood. A relatively _unharmed_ human being...

"Um," was all that Tony could manage when he saw that a woman, a _naked_ woman, was attempting to climb out of the crater she had just created in his hood.

"Uhhh, Miss?" He asked, standing in front of her and offering her a hand. _Shouldn't she be, well, putty? A pile of scrambled bones? Road pizza?_

The strange creature looked up at him with a look of extreme fear mixed with confusion. She looked at his hand but made no move to take it. Tony didn't know for certain but just by the look in her eyes he could guess that she didn't understand what his hand offering meant. _Weird..._

She looked around at everyone staring at her and Tony could see her chest begin to heave. She was scared, that much was certain. Her unusual silvery grey eyes darted around frantically, wide like a doe caught in headlights. The burgundy hood of his now destroyed Bentley made her pale skin stand out. Had this woman never seen the sun before? Not one sunspot was visible on her creamy skin.

_Huh,_ Tony thought. This woman had pink hair. Light pink curls fell down her back and effectively covered her, _uh_, chest. This woman was sure a weird specimen...

Then the realization that she was naked, _naked!,_ popped back into his mind and he instinctively shrugged out of his jacket and threw it around, _ahem_, her lady parts. The woman flinched backwards at the movement, scared like a caged animal.

"What happened to you?" He mumbled, genuinely concerned. "And where the hell did you come from?"

She opened and closed her mouth, drawing his jacket closer to her and drawing her knees to her chest as best as she could given the fact that the deformed hood had twisted upwards underneath her knees. Her bare legs and feet dangled over the front of the hood while the rest of her body was sunken into the car. Tony noticed her obvious apprehension towards the bystanders and turned to them, slightly angry.

"Hey! Get back! What's wrong with all of you?" He swung his arms out and forced them back, "Nosey bastards..."

The woman looked up at him blankly and Tony wondered what the hell he was going to do. He scratched his head and pulled out his phone. He had to make a very important call.

"_Tony, you have five seconds to explain yourself before I kill y-" _Pepper's voice sounded after two rings.

He cut her off, "I know, babe, but I, uh, I have a _really_ good reason. It's bizarre and...you probably won't believe it."

"_Five...four...three... two-"_

"Okay okay!" He didn't know how to say this but - "A naked woman fell from the sky and landed on my car."

No response.

"Pep? Hello?" He looked at the phone and saw that it had disconnected. Yep. He was as good as dead.

He sighed and dialed another number. When the person on the other line answered, Tony sighed.

"I think I found something you might want to see."

"_Where are you?"_

Tony looked around and gave the caller his location. As the voice on the other line barked out instructions for him, he sighed and looked at the woman again. She had somehow stood up from the hood crater and the jacket had slipped off. Tony rushed over and covered her with his body and quickly brought the jacket back up.

"Keep this on!" He ordered, "You're showing everybody your...you have no idea what I'm saying, do you?" At the blank look she gave him he sighed, "Of course you don't. No, not you," he said to the phone.

"_How did you come upon this?"_ The sound of a car starting up sounded in the background.

"It...fell from the sky."

Silence. And then, "_Don't move_."

"Well my car is destroyed so that's not really an optio-" Tony looked down at his phone, "_Why_ is everybody hanging up on me?"

A few minutes later the screeching of tires sounded on the busy New York City street and four sleek, black cars sped into view, windows tinted. A man stepped out of the foremost car, flanked by agents dressed in suits. The permanent frown on his face almost made Tony roll his eyes. This guy was always so serious.

"Stark," the man looked at him with the eye not covered by his eyepatch, "What hap- Christ." His eyes widened as they locked onto the woman standing wrapped in Tony's jacket. Tony was even more confused now.

"Agent Hill!" The man called, "Get over here! Stark, meet me at Avengers Tower."

"My car is _destroyed_. What's going on?" Tony demanded. "Who _is_ she?"

Nick Fury gave him a hard look.

"Someone who isn't supposed to be alive."


	2. Chapter 2

To all of the people who have already added this story to their favorites or subscribed, I am blown away! I was not expecting anything so quickly! You are all loved deeply by yours truly. Enjoy chapter two, you lovely readers, you ;]

**Disclaimer: **still don't own Marvel. The original character and original plot lines are all mine. Mine, I tell you!

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"What the hell do you mean she '_isn't supposed to be alive'_?" Tony was rushing to catch up with Fury's long, determined strides. "And why aren't you _listening_ to me?"

Fury stopped walking, causing Tony to crash into his back, and without turning around he said, "I hear you, Stark."

He continued walking again and Tony rubbed his nose, "Then _answer_ me!"

Fury kept his pace and Tony rolled his eyes. _I'm not even _that_ short. What gives?_

They were walking through one of the research and development floors of the newly renovated Stark Tower. Ever since the defeat of Loki and his alien army Earth seemed to be needing heroes more than ever. So when Fury said that the Avengers should all live together in a not so discrete giant tower in the middle of Manhattan, naturally they all agreed. Some more readily than others. Tony thought they should all have a mansion but hey, you can't always get what you want. Even when you're Tony Stark.

Fury turned to Stark, "I need you in the debriefing room in ten minutes. Can you do that or do I need to give you an escort?"

Tony grimaced at his words. Normally he would have said "_or do I need to send Coulson after you?_" But not today. Not anymore.

"No," Tony replied. "No, I'll be there."

Fury watched Stark turn and walk away. He shook his head slightly, his eye looking down. Stark wasn't the only one who missed Agent Phil Coulson. But Fury had a serious matter on his hands now (_again_), so he would have to save the mourning for later (_again_).

The giant bio-lock doors slid open after he input his credentials, passcode, finger imprint, and retina detail. SHIELD lab techs moved about the room, white lab coats blending with the white walls of the lab. At the far end of the room was a separate containment chamber made of extremely resilient glass, like the type used to make the Hulk's cell only now it was much stronger...because it wasn't really effective when Thor had gotten himself stuck in it.

Fury pushed passed some doctors and walked right up to a woman positioned in front of the glass. Her hands were crossed behind her back, holding a file, and she was looking at what was inside the room. He walked up next to her and mimicked her pose, taking a moment to assess the situation.

The woman who had landed on Tony's car was standing in the middle of the room, terrified. Nothing else was in the room with her. A SHIELD hospital type gown hung off her frame, the deep blue of the fabric standing out against her pale skin. Her long, slender fingers clenched and unclenched the sides of the gown nervously. She was frightened and confused. She had every right to be.

"Update me, Agent Hill."

Maria kept her eyes focused on the subject inside the room but handed Fury the file she had been holding. Fury looked at the grey folder with the SHIELD emblem on it. The file was thick and bound by two wide rubber bands to hold in all of the papers. Underneath the crest on the front were the boldfaced words "**PROJECT STARLIGHT**" with a big red "TERMINATED" stamped over it. Fury flipped through the file and skimmed over the sketches, chemical readings, engineering papers, testing results, and other documents until his fingers snagged on a photograph. He held it up, the edges tanned and fraying, the polaroid ink smudged a little in the lower right hand corner.

"It's her," he said, his eye switching between the woman in the room and the woman in the photograph. "It's really her."

Maria turned her eyes to him, "Yes. I don't know how it's possible but sir," she turned her eyes back to the woman, "she's alive."

* * *

Tony drummed his fingers against the meeting table and looked around. Fury told him _ten minutes_. He was late, not Tony, for a change. Bruce Banner was standing by the table, arms crossed and bouncing nervously. Steve Rogers was sitting, back straight against the chair, in full on super soldier mode. Natasha and Clint were seated next to each other, patiently awaiting their fearless one-eyed leader.

"Anybody else a little curious as to why he's late?" Tony had to break the silence. It was _awkward_.

"He has his reasons," Steve replied.

"Friends! Sorry I am late I- he is not here," Thor burst through the doors and stopped short when he noticed Fury's absence. "What luck! I will not be reprimanded for my tardiness then."

Steve lightly smiled to himself as the god took a seat.

"Thor," Fury's voice cut in as the doors slid open to reveal him, "you're late."

Thor let out a nervous chuckle, indeed scared by this mortal dressed in such an imposing way, "My apologies."

Fury set a mountain of files down on the table (the one he had been looking at earlier missing from the pile) and took out a small remote. He pointed it at the giant monitor at the head of the table and woke up the computer. A series of images flashed on the screen and Tony pointed excitedly.

"That's the woman who fell onto my car!"

"Which one?" Clint asked.

Tony frowned, "The Bentley."

Clint made a hissing noise, " Oo, ouch. Sorry, man."

"In 1945," Fury reclaimed their attention, "After the war and after your apparent death, Captain, SHIELD decided to try to recreate the super soldier serum countless times. Eventually, those attempts morphed into the operation known as 'Starlight'."

Steve looked down at his folded hands, the pangs of nostalgia hitting him. Fury tossed a file over to Bruce who fumbled with it before managing to contain all the papers. He shot him a look and took out his glasses, reading over the first few pages quickly.

He looked up with a slightly horrified face, "These are plans to _build_ a human being."

Tony snapped his head up and Bruce slid the file over to him. After coming to the same startling conclusion as Bruce, he looked to Fury, "Who the hell would try to do this? There's...there're _weapons_ in these schematics, Fury."

Fury's face twisted to a sour expression, as if he wasn't happy with it either, "I know. That's why we terminated the experiment. The world was not ready for that kind of technology."

"Building humans?" Steve scoffed, "The world will _never_ be ready for that."

"Which is why we shut it down," Fury said with a hard expression. "But not before there was one success."

Tony furiously flipped through the readings and charts, "No. There's no way this could has been a success. It's not possible to grow your own human!"

Bruce pointed to the stack of files still remaining, "What are those?"

Fury spread the files across the table, all of the them with the name "Starlight" on them. The team each grabbed one, no one but Tony and Bruce being able to remotely understand anything written in them. The files filtered through the team until each member had seen them all. They were all files about the research and development of artificial life, growable human beings. The pictures documenting the failures made Steve throw his file down, enraged.

"Why?" he asked sternly. "Why would SHIELD even _want_ to do this?"

"The tesseract was so powerful," Fury said, hands on the table in front of him so that he could lean in. "So powerful that SHIELD felt that no human being could go against it and win. Not even you, Cap."

Steve looked down again.

Fury began to walk around the table, "The idea to create a human being that could withstand the power of the cube seemed like a good one at first. Then came the failures. And the horror. The project turned into a Frankenstein experiment."

"I know that reference," Steve mumbled to himself, not wanting to lose an opportunity to show his knowledge.

"When we had succeeded, the orders had already been given to shut the project down." He showed a clip of a satellite orbiting through space, "In 1960, we sent the project along with it's master file into space, never thinking it would find its way back."

"But it did," Natasha spoke up, "didn't it?"

Fury turned to Tony, "Mr. Stark, the woman that crashed down onto your car today was no ordinary woman."

"You got that right. She obliterated my hood with not so much as a scratch on her."

Fury pursed his lips and nodded slightly.

"Who was she?" Steve asked, although he already knew the answer judging by the look on Fury's face.

"She, Avengers, is the successful product of Operation Starlight."


	3. Chapter 3

Literally blown away by all of the favorites and alerts so far! Thank you to ** S a i r a h i n i e l**, **Radwoman**, and **Ravenclaw Slytherin** for their lovely reviews :] Now, onwards to chapter three!

**Disclaimer**: Marvel still isn't mine. The original character and the plot line is, though.

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Steve stared at the woman through the glass with his arms folded and a thoughtful look on his face.

"She doesn't look like a weapon of mass destruction."

Bruce spoke from his left, "They never do."

Steve smiled a little, finally understanding a joke. Albeit the understanding came from Bruce and Steve's shared ability to be absolutely horrible at dealing with women but hey, at least he got the joke. This was progress.

"She looks scared," Bruce said softly, staring at the woman with interest. "Like a caged animal."

Steve figured the doctor knew the feeling all too well and decided not to reply. He didn't really know what he would say or do anyway. At least it's not you this time? Pat him on the back? Neither of those seemed like a good idea.

Tony came up behind them, "So I'm looking at these preliminary tests and either I'm not the genius I think I am or these readings are impossible. And I _am_ a genius so..."

Bruce took the charts and flipped through them. Steve craned his neck to see even though he knew he wouldn't be able to understand a word. Bruce was mumbling to himself while his eyes scanned the pages.

"These are..."

Tony smirked, "I know."

Steve watched as they both hurried off to another part of the lab. He turned back to the room holding the "subject" and grimaced. She looked so scared. He narrowed his eyes and walked to the door. He didn't like bullies and SHIELD wasn't being very nice to her, weapon or not. He input all of his access codes and the doors slid open. He stepped into the room.

Her silvery grey eyes snapped over to the door. She watched Steve walk in and he was thankful he was wearing civilian clothes. The suit would have probably scared her even more. He knew it freaked out Tony a little bit...

"Hey," he said tentatively.

She ran back towards the corner of the room, eyes wide and chest beginning to heave.

Steve held his hands out, "I'm not gonna hurt you. I promise. Are you alright?"

She began to shake and Steve started to wonder if she knew what he was saying at all.

"Can you speak english or...understand it?" Did she speak some weird science language or something?

She pushed herself further into the corner.

"Right. Uhhh..." Steve had no idea where to go from there. He saw Tony and Bruce approach the glass with wide eyes. Tony's mouth was moving but Steve couldn't hear what he was saying. The captain shook his head and motioned to his ear. Tony rolled his eyes and began to make wild gestures towards the door with Bruce frantically beckoning him to come out.

Bruce's mouth moved and Steve could read two words repeating on his lips, "GET OUT!"

Steve looked back at the woman again and saw her hugging her knees to her chest, pressed as far into the corner as she could go.

"They're not gonna hurt you. They're not yelling at you. Everything is okay. My name is Steve," he figured he'd try to talk to her again. He walked towards her with one hand pressed to his chest and the other extended in a friendly gesture. He could see out of the corner of his eye that Tony and Bruce's flailing had gotten worse. Tony banged on the glass and the noise echoed around the room, startling both of them. Steve stalked over to the two scientists.

"What?" He yelled, forgetting that he was in a room with a supposedly _very_ dangerous weapon.

At his yelling, the woman closed her eyes and held out her hands. The last thing Steve remembered before the darkness took over was a silver blast of light and the worst pain he had ever felt in his life. Worse than when he was given the serum. And then nothing.

Tony and Bruce watched in horror as the woman blasted Steve through the glass wall, _through the glass wall_ that was supposed to be strong enough to withstand a damn nuclear explosion. Fury came bursting into the room followed by Thor, Clint, and Natasha.

"What the hell happened?"

"She just blasted Steve through the wall!" Bruce shrieked.

"Shit," Fury cursed. "Somebody get a medical team down here NOW! We need to contain her somehow."

"Uh," Tony said. "Not to burst your bubble but she's not in the room anymore."

"What?" Fury's eye widened.

Tony's face leveled, "I'm not sure how that sentence confused you..."

Fury rolled his eye and stalked past Stark and into the containment room. Debris from the wall was settling as the team filed in. They all peered through the Cap sized hole in the wall and noticed that he was blasted through _several_ walls. They quickly rushed out of the lab and ran to where he had landed.

"Well, this is surprising," Clint said as they reached the fallen captain.

The woman was sitting next to Steve's unconscious and bloodied body, attempting to cover him with her gown that she had now disrobed herself of. Bruce looked away, his face red as he looked anywhere but at the naked woman in front of him. She fixed the gown around his torso and turned to the Avengers who were all staring at her. Her brows knitted together and she swung out her arm.

"Hey! Get back! What's wrong with all of you?" She yelled at them.

Tony's brows shot up to his hairline, "That's...that's _exactly_ what I said to the rubberneckers when she landed on my car."

She continued to look at them and grumbled, "Nosey bastards."

"That too?" Natasha asked with a smirk.

"That too," Tony nodded.

A medical team rushed in and started working on Steve, pushing the woman out of the way. She fell back onto her elbows and scrambled to stand up, rushing over to the Avengers. They all readied themselves in defense but what happened next was not an attack. She quickly hurried over to Tony and hid her body behind him, using him as a shield and lightly grasping the back of his jacket in her fisted hands.

"Uh...help?" was all he could manage as he stood perfectly still so as not to spook the woman.

"I think the strange pink haired woman trusts you, Man of Iron," Thor said thoughtfully, fully intrigued by the situation.

"Why?" Tony mouthed, not daring to move and knowing that two silvery grey eyes were peering out from over his shoulder.

"I think she thought Steve was going to attack you," Bruce said. "When he yelled at you through the glass. I think...I think she was trying to protect you."

"And she mimicked whatever you did back when you found her on your car," Natasha added.

Fury looked to the uneasy Tony and then to the cowering woman behind him, "Conference room, _five_ minutes. Stark, bring your friend. And _nobody_ piss her off."

"That's right," Tony said, a slight shake in his voice, "everyone be nice to me."

Natasha rolled her eyes as the team filed out. Tony turned quickly to the woman who stared back at him wide eyed, her hands gathering in fists under her chin as she drew them back to her body. He looked at her, completely exasperated and to be honest a little scared.

"Why are you protecting me?" She gave no answer.

He looked down at her and immediately started shrugging out of his jacket.

"And why are you never wearing any clothes?"


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you so incredibly much to everyone who has reviewed, subscribed, and/or added me/this story to their favorites. It means the world to me, truly. This chapter, sadly, has no Avengers, but it is crucial for this story. Also, the guy I'm about to introduce in this chapter is one of my favorites! Anyway, keep those lovely reviews coming and enjoy chapter four :]

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**Two days ago - Acme Atomics Corporation nuclear plant. Brooklyn, New York.**

Owen Reece was not happy. He hadn't been for months. Ever since the passing of his beloved mother he hadn't seen a purpose to his own life. There was no reason to live. Everything that was good and warm in the world was gone. All that was left was a rotten, cold, piece of dirt.

What was worse was that his boss didn't even let him properly mourn her death. It was right back to work for Owen. Back to his crappy, low-paying job at the lab. He was barely getting by on his bills, barely getting by in _life_. Everything depressed him.

He looked down into his microscope and analyzed what seemed to be the thousandth radiated skin cell. He was a lowly lab tech, ordered to do mundane tasks...like looking at skin cell after skin cell. The work was crap and the pay was crappier. He was smarter than this, _better_ than this, but he just didn't have the energy to care. Not anymore.

He removed the slide from the microscope and typed his findings into the computer.

_Slide no. 25649. Skin cell deteriorated. No regrowth after serum._

He knew that Acme Corp knew that they would never find a cure for radiation poisoning. It was just a ploy to get the press off their backs for opening a nuclear plant in the middle of Brooklyn. "Safe Nuclear Energy" is what they boasted but nobody could predict a blowout, or stop the aftermath.

Owen sighed and placed the slide into the case marked "tested". He went to reach for a clean slide and noticed that there were no more left. He was so detached from his work that he had forgotten to restock his station with fresh slides last night. With a scowl he stalked over to the storage unit and saw a lab tech walk out with a box.

"Sorry, pal," he said to Owen, "last box out here. We got a new shipment in on Tuesday though. Should still be downstairs."

Owen clenched his fists and turned to the elevators. He slammed his finger onto the basement level button and tapped his foot impatiently as the contraption lowered itself. When the doors opened he stalked out, mumbling incoherently and searching for the damned box of new slides. He found them relatively quickly and as he lifted the box something in the corner of the basement caught his eye. He set the box down and curiously walked over to it.

A machine was partially covered in a tarp in the corner. Owen had read about these machines but had never been privileged enough to see one in real life, let alone one in action. It was a particle generator and from the looks of it, this one was experimental. There were a lot of added features on this one and it was bigger, much bigger. With a small smile, Owen grasped the tarp and yanked on it to fully reveal the machine but the tarp snagged on something. He yanked harder and the tarp came free, but not before the machine sprang to life, lighting up and making beeping and data crunching noises.

Owen stepped back, eyes wide, as the machine turned to him. His mind wouldn't move fast enough and just as he decided to run, the machine went off, shooting him with a blast of radiated energy. He fell backwards, screaming and shielding his face, but it was too late.

When Owen woke up he was still on the floor of the basement and his head was pounding. He groaned and lifted himself up, clutching his head and moaning as he grasped onto a nearby overturned table for support. When he touched it, the table disintegrated and he fell to the floor again. Amazed, Owen looked at his hands and then to the place where the table used to be.

"What happened to me?" He whispered to himself. He looked up at the particle generator and scrambled to get over to it. A file stuck out from underneath it and from the looks of it probably hadn't been placed there on purpose. It looked like it had been lodged underneath the machine accidentally. Owen picked it up and attempted to make out the faded text.

All he could decipher were the phrases "super particle", "unknown form of radiation", and "research terminated".

Footsteps sounded from behind him and he turned to face the president of the company and several of his coworkers all staring at him, horror etched across their faces.

"What have you done?" The president asked, looking around the room which had turned into a total wreck from the explosion. Chemicals had leaked all over from their delivery boxes, glass and test tube shards were littered across the floor, and off in the corner an electrical wire was sparking madly.

Owen looked to the ground covered in a layer of chemicals. His reflection peered back at him and he was startled at what he saw. His face! His face had been marked! Chemical burns that looked like lightning bolts stretched out across his skin, starting at the middle of his nose and fanning out. Four lightning bolt shaped burns marred his face, two spanning his cheeks and two shooting up his forehead to the left and right.

"You haven't been here since two o' clock yesterday. You left work early. No one could find you. But you were down here? _Fiddling_ with this machine?"

"It's been a day?" Owen whispered.

"Yeah it's _been a day_. And now you've gone and done this. This is **not **what the company needs!"

Owen narrowed his eyes at him. "What's my name?" He spat out in a whisper.

"What?"

"I said," he rose to his feet, "What is...my name?"

"You, uh, you're," the president swallowed, "you're fired."

Owen gritted his teeth, "I've worked here for twelve years...and you don't even know my _NAME_?"

He stalked past everyone and stood at the elevators. Facing them, a scowl ripped across his face, his eyes set in a menacing manner. Something broke inside of him.

"One day, _everyone_ will know my name," he spat out. "Everyone will know. But not you," he smiled, "no, not you."

He lifted his arm and the temperature in the room dropped. The President watched his breath appear as he exhaled and looked up, terrified.

"You don't have to be fired! We can fix this!"

"I _am_ fixing this," Owen snarled. He concentrated on the fluid spilled all over the ground and the molecules began to manipulate, began to freeze. The liquid turned to ice, traveling towards the president of Acme Corp and his coworkers. The chemicals froze beneath their feet and ice started traveling up their legs, freezing their bodies. They screamed and cried, trying to move but finding they were literally frozen on the spot. When the ice had frozen them completely their faces were permanently stuck screaming out in fear.

Owen laughed, satisfied that they had gotten what they deserved and clapped his hands. The molecules shattered, their bodies obliterating into tiny bits and pieces, untraceable. He smiled to himself and entered the elevator.

There was a new energy inside of him. He had found a new purpose. Everybody would know his name


	5. Chapter 5

I love all of your reviews with the fire of a thousand suns. Truly, you are all wonderful. I figured I'd post another chapter since the previous one had no Avengers in it. Again, I love all of the support and greatly appreciate it! Enjoy chapter five :]

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing except the original character and the plot.

* * *

The Avengers were silent as they all sat around the table minus Tony, the unnamed woman, and Steve. They weren't there yet and Steve was pretty critical right now. Clint raised a tentative hand.

"What's going on?"

"She _can't_ be alive," Bruce stated, his hand gesturing to the reports. "What's in those readings...it's not possible."

"Why?" Natasha asked.

Bruce clenched his jaw and then nodded to himself. He produced a slide from his pocket and handed it over to her. The red headed assassin looked at the slide in confusion.

"It's her blood," Bruce explained.

"It's silver," Natasha stated as she turned the slide in her hands.

"What?" Clint reached for the slide, "Lemme see."

He held up the slide to the light and saw that there wasn't red blood on it but indeed a silvery metallic substance. "What the...?"

"Wait for it," Bruce said.

Suddenly a small flash of blue pulsed across the sample, making Clint nearly drop the slide.

"What the hell was that?"

Thor snatched the slide out of his hands, nearly crushing it with his strength, and watched as another pulse crossed the drop. His eyes narrowed and his jaw set.

"The tesseract."

Banner nodded, "Somehow the cube's power is _in_ her bloodstream, or whatever that is flowing through her veins."

"That's why she's a weapon of mass destruction," Clint nodded his head, understanding the situation.

"I don't see how it's possible, though," Bruce continued. "The files we all read had no indication of the project being a success _with_ the cube's power. They were just of a human life that had been grown. I didn't read, well, _anything_ about the tesseract being inserted."

"We have seen what the tesseract can do to humans," Thor said. "There is no way she could harness that energy."

"She's not human," Natasha said without emotion. "She's not like us."

"Not even a mighty Asgardian could hold that cube. The power is far too great."

"Then what is she?" Clint asked.

"A pain in my ass, that's what she is."

They all turned and saw Tony dragging himself into the conference room. The woman was still clutching onto his back, her heels digging into the ground. Bruce was thankful that she was wearing more clothes this time. The whole scene was in a way amusing and Thor let out a bellowing laugh.

"Friend Stark you look like Fandral after he has chosen the wrong lady to bed with for the night!"

Tony stopped dragging her in and stared at the god, "_What_ are you even talking about? I have no idea what you say half the time."

Bruce backed up as the woman was _finally_ pulled into the room. Tony had located her a SHIELD uniform which was probably why they had been so late. Bruce gulped as he noticed the way the fabric fit to her body. _Look away, Bruce. Look away._ He wrung his hands together and pretended to be extremely interested in the floor.

Fury walked in after them and Tony turned to him, positively exasperated, "Does this thing come with a manual or something?" He pointed to the woman, "She didn't even know how to put her boots on. _Shoes_, guys. She couldn't put on _shoes_."

"_Shoes_, guy. She couldn't put on _shoes_," the woman repeated with the same inflections Tony had used.

Tony flailed his arms at her, "And she keeps doing _that_!"

"Stark," Fury said. "Teach her english."

Tony stared at him, "What. Like...put her in a corner and have her read the dictionary? Why don't we just give her crayons and a coloring book?"

"However you choose to do it."

Tony grumbled and took her over to the end of the table. Trying to teach her how to speak on her own was difficult when she couldn't even put on her own shoes. He started speaking to her as if he was Tarzan.

"Me, Tony," he motioned inward towards himself and then outwards towards her, "you, crazy pink haired chick."

Fury watched for a moment, mildly amused, before he turned back to the team.

"The substance you took from the lab, Dr. Banner," Bruce blushed at being found out, "is _not_ blood."

"Well that's obvious," Clint said.

"It's plasma from a star."

"That's...no," Clint didn't have words to say to follow that up. Energy from a _star_? You can't even get close enough to a star to feel its heat unless you want to fry up in a matter of milliseconds. How the _hell_ is matter from a star inside that woman?

"I agree," Bruce said. "No."

"How is that possible?" Thor asked. "A star is...hot."

Tony subtly brought his hand up to his face from his spot next to the woman, who in turn saw him and did the same.

Fury took out another file (where did he keep _hiding_ these things?) and tossed it over to Bruce. The good doctor read it for a minute before looking up in shock, something that everyone had been doing as of late.

"How?"

Fury leaned in, "A star is a massive sphere of plasma. It's held together by gravity. When a star begins to die there is a possibility that it can contain something called degenerate matter."

The team all looked confused and Bruce explained, "The particles of degenerate matter are so dense that if you wanted to combine them they would have to be moving very fast and at different energy levels, because no two particles can exist in one quantum state. The degenerate matter in a star is what keeps it going for so long, in theory."

"Yeah..." Clint said, "That didn't really help."

"Sorry," Bruce looked down again.

From the end of the table they heard Tony explain while making an 'x' with his arms, "Blasting people through walls, bad," and then wrap his arms around himself, "Hugging people, good."

"One form of degenerate matter," Fury continued, "is called strange matter and it can be found in a neutron star."

"In theory," Bruce said.

"Yes, Dr. Banner, in theory. A neutron star is a leftover from a supernova event-"

"A star explosion?" Clint interrupted.

Fury sighed, "A supernova _is_ an explosion, yes. It's stronger than a regular nova and emits more energy in one burst than the Sun will produce in its entire lifetime. It's very powerful."

"And very rare," Bruce said.

"The last one documented was in 1604," Fury told them. "But, the stellar remnants remained."

"The neutron star?" Natasha tried to piece together the information.

"Correct."

"And I'm guessing that SHIELD somehow got their hands on it?"

"That would be impossible," Bruce said. "A neutron star's mass is extremely dense."

"We got our hands on a particle." Fury looked at Bruce, "There _was_ degenerate matter in it."

"Wait, I thought it was strange matter?" Clint raised his hand again, totally confused by this science lesson.

"Same thing," Natasha, Tony, and Bruce all said, the woman repeating them immediately after. Clint shrank in his seat.

"So SHIELD found a way to fuse it together into a liquid?" Bruce's eyes were wide, mouth half agape.

Fury looked at the woman who was looking around the room with the same scared animal-like expression on her face. Tony was standing with his arms folded across his chest, now listening to the conversation instead of teaching. She mimicked him and tried to make her face look like his.

"That they did," Fury looked at the table and repeated it more so to himself, "that they did."

The woman looked over at the team, her eyes piercing through Bruce's. He gulped as he saw the sadness and confusion written all over her face. She licked her lips and fiddled with her fingers before pointing to herself.

"Me...star?" She asked in a shaky, unsure voice.

Tony raised his arms above his head, proud and smiling at her first not mimicked words.

"I did it!"


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you again to all who reviewed! I'd like to point out that Owen Reece is an actual villain from the Marvel Universe. I did not make him up. You can wikipedia him, if you so desire. As I said in the first chapter, I am a huge fan of the comics, so I will rely pretty heavily on events/facts in them. Don't worry, you'll all love it, hopefully! Now, onward! Enjoy chapter six :]

* * *

**Bank of America, 438 86th St, Brooklyn, New York**

Owen Reece walked into the bank, more confident than he had been in ages. He waited patiently in line, a smile threatening to break out onto his face. Everyone stared at him, some even gasping. The crude electric marks on his face weren't that appealing to normal humans, he supposed. But finally, he was no normal human.

"Hi, sir, can I help-" the teller looked up at his face and gasped slightly, "-you?"

Owen's smile faltered only slightly, nerves kicking in. He looked to the holder full of pens and discretely aimed a finger at one of them. It dissolved before his eyes and his confidence was renewed. He looked back at the clerk. _This is for you, dear mother_, he thought.

"Yes, you _can_ help me. I'm here to rob you."

The teller's eyes went wide and she reached under the counter to press the emergency button. Three security guards came up and positioned their guns at Owen. He turned to them, hands up, and laughed.

"You won't be needing those, boys."

He pointed a finger at the guns and watched as they all disappeared, their molecules pulled apart. The guards looked down at their hands, confused, before rushing at Owen. He held his hand out and the guards stopped running, choking on air and gasping for breath.

"Air feeling a little dense around you, eh?" He pulled at his collar, "It is getting a little stuffy in here, isn't it? A little breeze might help."

He thrust his hand out and air molecules shot out at the employees and customers, knocking them off their feet. The guards fell down, asphyxiated, faces blue, and Owen stepped over their bodies. The teller was scrambling to pull herself off the ground and he walked over and kicked her down again before pulling her up by the hair. He liked feeling in control.

"I'd like to see that vault now, if you don't mind."

* * *

**Avengers Tower. Manhattan, New York.**

"I...am...a star?" The woman asked a little more steadily.

"They grow up fast, don't they?" Tony looked down proudly.

"She's dangerous, Tony," Natasha reminded him. "She's not a child."

"What, I can't be proud of my handiwork? I'll have you know that that was very difficult. I should be a teacher. Someone give me a certificate. Or an apple."

"Like you _did_ anything," Clint held his hand out to indicate the room. "She learned by mimicry."

"Did you not _see_ me teaching her english? Detention."

"I heard you speaking like a neanderthal."

"That's how you start them off!"

"No it's _not._"

"Tell me, do you remember being taught english in the nest before you were pushed out?"

"No, but-"

"See! So you wouldn't know. For all you know you could have been three years old and walking around speaking like one of the Geico cavemen."

"I can assure you that _that_ didn't happen."

"Uh..." Bruce said tentatively. "Guys?" He pointed discretely to the pink haired woman.

They all looked to the woman whose hands were glowing with a faint silver light which was growing stronger as the seconds passed. It crackled with energy, pulses of blue shooting across it. Her silver eyes began to glow; the entire eye turned a glowing silver.

"I don't think that's a good sign..." Bruce started to back away slowly.

Tony placed a timid hand on her shoulder, "Hey, supernova. Calm down." He leaned away slightly, "Please?"

Her hands lost their glow and her eyes returned to normal. She sighed, rubbing her forehead and then her temples in what seemed to be irritation.

"She's unstable," Bruce whispered to himself. "Like I used to be."

Her head snapped up, "Unstable?"

Bruce's eyes widened, "How did you hear that?"

Fury's communicator beeped, "Fury."

"_Fury, it's Agent Hill. We've got a situation. Uploading the footage to your monitor now_."

Security footage of a man robbing a bank appeared on the screen. The security guards' guns literally disintegrated and they seemed to have...choked on air? A few moments later the remaining people were thrown to the ground by some unknown force. The team looked at the man still standing and watched as he dragged the teller to the back where the vault was kept.

"What manner of magic was that?" Thor asked, arms crossed and brow creased.

"He dissolved those guns," Natasha said, crossing her arms as well. "How?"

"Find out," Fury ordered.

"_I'll give you the coordinates_."

The Avengers reached the scene in record time. Tony set Clint down on the ground and the archer stumbled to regain his footing.

"I'm tempted to kiss the ground right now."

"Oh come on," Tony said, flipping his helmet up, "my flying isn't that bad."

"Says the guy in the armored suit who won't die if he falls."

Thor gently lowered Natasha to the ground, bringing his hammer down to his side, "Do you think it wise to have left the strange star woman alone at the Tower with Dr. Banner?"

Tony blinked, "Shit, I forgot about that."

Hawkeye looked around at everyone, "How did _all_ of us not realize that?"

"Bigger fish to fry," Natasha said. "We're down a team leader and up against a guy who can dissolve guns."

"I do not see how frying fish would benefit us here..."

Tony rolled his eyes and dragged Thor towards the bank, followed by the remaining Avengers. Clint shot the security system with an electrical arrow, short circuiting the power locks. They entered the bank just as the criminal exited the vault with three duffle bags that were...floating?

"...Do the fish give us sustenance? In Asgard we feast on such aquatic creatures until we have had our fill. I do not underst- Why does that strangely decorated man have floating bags?" Thor stopped his fish rant and looked at Owen.

The former lab-tech turned super villain smiled at them all menacingly. He held his palm out and disintegrated all of the arrows in Hawkeye's quiver. The archer growled and flipped out his bow.

"You're gonna pay for that!"

"And how are you going to shoot me, hmm?" Owen asked.

Clint blinked, "I..."

"Enough of this," Tony said. "We've already got enough weird back at the Tower. Who the hell are _you_?"

"Call me...Molecule Man."

Tony prepared a blast from his pulsars but when he fired it Owen managed to match it and turned it into shiny dust. The genius stared, perplexed, at his open iron clad palm.

"What the...?"

"Raaaaa!" Thor bellowed and sent his hammer hurtling towards Molecule Man. The villain merely smirked and held out his palm, deflecting the hammer and sending it through the wall and outside. The God of thunder stood, as confused as Tony, and scratched his head.

"How big _is_ this fish?"

Natasha sprang forward and fired several small missiles at Owen who backhanded them out of the way like no effort at all was involved. Tony and Thor tried their powers again but both were shot down, Thor quite literally when Molecule Man sent his hammer flying into his solar plexus.

"Well," Owen smiled again, "Avengers, it's been _real_ fun. But I think I'll be going now."

And with that he stepped over the fallen superheroes and exited the bank.

"After him!" Tony yelled, springing to his feet. "Who _is_ this guy?"

* * *

**Avengers Tower. Manhattan, New York.**

The odd woman with pink hair watched as all of the strange people filed out of the room in a hurry. The dark man with the eyepatch paid no attention to her as he barked orders at the others. When the doors hissed closed she sat alone at the table and fiddled with her hands. The doors slid open again and one of the men who had just rushed out returned. He sat down a few chairs away from her and twiddled his thumbs.

She studied him for a moment. He didn't look threatening, like he would hurt her or the one who calls himself Tony. She recalled that he had mumbled the word 'unstable' earlier and although she did not know what it meant, she figured it had something to do with her almost second outburst. She immediately thought of the man she had blasted through the walls. Suddenly she did not feel too well. A swelling sensation climbed up her chest and she felt _wrong_. She needed to see that blonde man.

Bruce was looking down at his hands, not sure of what he should do or say. He wasn't very good at conversations to begin with, but he was probably worse with someone who knew _nothing_ of being human. Plus, she was actually pretty in a crazy alien way, so that was intimidating enough.

Her voice was soft but it still managed to startle him, "They're not gonna hurt you. They're not yelling at you. Everything is okay. My name is Steve."

He looked over at her, "Excuse me?"

She huffed and repeated a little more urgently, "They're not gonna hurt you. They're not yelling at you. Everything is okay. My name is Steve."

"Your name is Ste- _oh!_ You want to see Steve?" He vaguely recalled her words as being the ones Steve had said to her inside the containment room before she had blasted him.

She nodded, "I...want to see Steve." The language tasted strange on her tongue every time she spoke.

"I...um, I'll take you to him, then," Bruce said.

She got up and walked towards him, not noticing the slight flinch he gave as she moved closer. He stood awkwardly and she moved behind him. Bruce was confused for a moment before he felt her grip the back of his shirt like she had done with Tony earlier. He looked over his shoulders and his eyes met her silvery grey ones. She looked scared yet determined to see Steve.

"You don't...You don't have to do that. No one will hurt you," he told her gently. "My name is Bruce."

Her grip remained firm and he sighed, "Okay, you're going to do it anyway."

"Bruce," she said, getting a feeling for his name and how it sounded coming from her mouth.

"Yeah," he replied as he guided her out of the room, "Bruce Banner."

She huddled closer to him and he blushed a little before leading her down the hall.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing but the plot and the pink haired woman.

* * *

Nick Fury was pacing back and forth along the steel walkway of the main SHIELD operations room. It spanned the entirety of one level of Stark Tower, which SHIELD had decided to take over some odd months ago. Tony had replicated the control room of the Helicarrier, which was still undergoing maintenance, but had made it bigger and much more efficient. Green energy will do that to a place.

"Sir, you do know that you left Dr. Banner with-"

"I know, Agent Hill," Fury said without looking at her. He directed his eyes to the traffic cameras catching the scene at the bank in Brooklyn all on tape, "We have bigger problems right now."

"I don't see how anything could be bigger than her."

"Well start trying to see. That man there," he pointed at Owen deflecting Thor's hammer, "is our main priority now."

"But sir, she's a _weapon_. She's dangerous."

He turned to her, "Do I look like I don't know that? The way I see it, we're the only people she knows. We're the only ones who are helping her. Can't lock her up because she destroyed the only cage thought to be able to contain her, and it turns out it couldn't. So for the time being, yeah, let her roam free. She needs to be able to trust us and we need to know she won't pull another stunt like earlier and land another one of the team in the infirmary, or worse, the morgue."

Agent Hill was silent before asking, "And what about the file, sir?"

Fury stared at her with all the intensity he could muster, "No one is to see that file. Not another agent, not Banner, and _especially_ not Stark. Is that clear, Agent Hill?"

She pursed her lips but nodded.

"Crystal, sir."

* * *

Bruce entered his access code into the pad by the infirmary doors. They slid open and he guided the pink haired woman in. She was looking straight at his back and still grasping his shirt tightly in her hands. The entire time they walked it was like a shuffle. Their feet collided with each other's more than once.

Steve was the only one in the room except for an agent who was checking his vitals. She scampered out of the room as soon as she saw Bruce enter with the woman who had caused the blast in the first place. The only noises were the gentle hums of the machines and the steady beeping of Steve's heart monitor.

As Bruce continued to lead her forward she peeked her head out and looked around the room. Her eyes locked on all of the equipment and she instantly dropped to the floor. Bruce was startled and since her hands were clenched around his shirt, he fell down as well.

"Oooof!" Bruce scrambled to turn around and got on his knees, his hands on the floor in front of him.

The pink haired woman was panicking, looking at all of the machines with wide, fearful eyes. Bruce could see a strange recognition in her silvery grey eyes as they flickered from machine to machine. A tiny whimper escaped her mouth as she locked onto a tray of surgical tools. She didn't know where to go. Everywhere she turned there was another thing that made her cry out in fear.

Bruce watched her, not knowing what to do. He watched her breathing quicken, her chest heave. There was no one around and he doubted she would like it if he suddenly shot up and ran over to the intercom to ask for help. Maybe someone would see them on the cameras, he hoped. When he saw her eyes start to fade and begin to turn completely silver, he knew he had to do something or else he was going to end up next to Steve. Or the big guy would come out...

"Hey, hey," he reached a hand out to her. "It's okay, sshhh," he tried to sound soothing, his soft voice low and calming. "No one is going to hurt you. You're okay. Shhhh."

She squeezed her eyes shut but her breathing remained the same. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her mind was flashing images in front of her.

_The sound of utensils clanking together came from her left. A drilling noise came from her right. The pain was so blinding, so surreal, that she screamed and screamed until her throat went raw and started to bleed. There were so many sounds and lights and just so. much. pain._

"_It's okay, sshhh. You're okay,"_ _a voice came from above her. "Stop this. We need to stop this _now," _it said to somebody else._

"_We've almost done it!" Somebody hollered back, desperate to be heard over the blood curdling screams._

"_I don't care! You're hurting her!"_

"_She's doesn't have feelings! She's not a real human!"_

"_Can't you hear her screaming?"_

_The pain intensified and she screamed so loudly that something nearby shattered. Bright silver lights surrounded her and the others around her started screaming. She passed out shortly after from the pain._

Bruce watched her crawl over to a tray and grab a scalpel.

"Hey! No, no, sshhh," he pleaded, looking into her distant eyes. "Calm down. You're okay, you're alright."

"_Calm down, sweetheart. You're okay, you're alright."_

_Her eyes focused somewhat, still bleary from the procedures, the pain. The silhouette of a man stood above her, the light so bright that his features were indiscernible. She turned her head and looked at the wall, splattered with red blotches that were dripping down. Beneath the carnage was something bold and black. She could hardly see it beneath all of the red._

Bruce watched as she stared straight ahead but plunged the scalpel into the floor. She began to etch something. The scalpel dug deeply into the ground, her grip on it so tight that silver started to leak from her palm. Blood.

"Look at me," he pleaded with her, slowly crawling towards her on all fours. He held a timid hand out, "Look at me. You're okay."

"_Look at me. Hey, hey, look at me."_

_She felt a hand on her cheek and her face was directed back to the silhouette. He shined something in her eyes but she didn't register it. There were already enough lights blinding her._

"_What the hell?"_ _A new, different voice sounded from farther away. It drew closer as the owner said, "What happened here?"_

_The man standing above her replied, "A horror film, that's what. I told you not to do this. I _begged_ you all to not try again."_

"_But it worked..." the new voice trailed off. "By God it worked!"_

"_This is not something to rejoice about. We built her and then mutated her. She's...she's-"_

"_She's perfect!"_

"_No! No. Did you see what she did to the others?"_

"_Imagine what a thousand of her can do!"_

"_You can't be serious. I won't let that happen. The world isn't rea-"_

"_Ready? Was the world ready for that cube? For Hydra? No. The world needs this."_

"_No," the first voice whispered. "No, it doesn't."_

_One of the men left, his footsteps getting farther and farther away. She heard a sigh, her vision beaming in and out, and then felt a pressure on her hand. A set of fingers gently held her own._

"_Don't let anybody try to tell you that you aren't human," the voice of the man standing above her whispered. "You are not a weapon. You are a human being. I don't know if you understand me or if you're even listening, but I'm so sorry. I'm sorry we made you. I'm sorry I helped. I'm sorry that any of this has happened."_

_There was silence for a moment and then a tired sniffle, "You _are_ human, and every human has a name. Machines, robots, they don't...they're _not_ like you. You're not like them," he whispered._

_She whimpered a little and he soothed her with a gentle, "Sshhh. Everything will be okay."_

_Before she lost consciousness again she heard him speak one last time. The light faded away from around him and she saw his face, graced with a sad smile._

"_Stella," he said. "It means 'star' and... and that's what you are. Stella."_

Bruce watched her eyes begin to focus back in on reality. He was close to her now, his hand clasped over her own that was holding the scalpel. The scalpel was still plunged into the floor but she had stopped carving and was instead staring forward. She blinked and her eyes snapped to Bruce's. He was startled at the tears that had gathered in them. They were glistening, sparkling with whatever horrible memories she had just seen. The two stared at each other for a moment before she licked her lips.

"Stella," she said, her voice cracking and a single tear trailing down her pale cheek. She told him softly, the words no louder than a simple breath, "My name is Stella."

Bruce could say nothing. Her voice was so scared, her eyes so broken, that he could not form a reply. Instead, he loosened his grip on her hand and heard the clattering of the scalpel as it dropped to the ground. His eyes shot down to her palm and he grabbed it without thinking, examining it for the deep gash he knew would be there.

Her palm was torn and the silvery metallic substance that was her blood leaked out. She looked down at her hand as well and they both watched as the blood slowly trickled back in, the skin meshing back together and healing itself. They locked eyes again, hers terrified and his amazed.

"Wh-What just happened?"

Both of their heads snapped over to see Steve Rogers sitting up in his bed, his eyes wide and his jaw dropped open.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **None of the Marvel characters are mine OR the part of the show Kyle XY that I have borrowed for Stella. Stella and the plot are mine.

* * *

Owen paced around the living room of the house he had shared with his mother. He fisted his hair in his hands and slightly pulled, trying to relieve the tension in his head. Surely the authorities were looking for him. Surely the _Avengers_ were looking for him. He had not been careful. His face was probably plastered all over the place by now. The rogue criminal Owen Reece. The villain. The _freak_.

"_Gaaaaah_!" He screamed out in frustration.

He sat in an overstuffed armchair and took a few deep breaths. The house still smelled like his mother. Her warm scent permeated his senses and he sighed deeply, inhaling the peace that came with it. He was comforted by what little presence of her was still left in the house.

A picture of the two of them sat on the side table nearest him. They were smiling, arms wrapped around each other. She was the picture of beauty in his eyes. She never gave up on him. Never gave up on poor, frail, timid little Owen.

She believed in him when the rest of the world didn't. The rest of the world had given up on him. Discarded him like a used tissue. Everyone else made him feel worthless, like _nothing_. His mother never did. She always told him that he would be something great, that he _was_ something great.

And now she was gone. The only person who ever believed in him was gone. His beloved mother was dead and all that remained were the judging, persecuting souls of all the _damned_ fools on this ungrateful rock. This horrid, unforgiving Earth. Owen's lips curled into a snarl.

He may have been weak but he was not any longer. That machine, that _blast_, had given him awesome power, _unbeatable_ power. Even the Avengers were no match for him. Their powers were useless. For once in his life he was stronger. Nobody could beat him.

He took one last look around his mother's house before grabbing the duffle bags from the bank. All the people who belittled him, all the people who thought they had been better than him, they would soon know the truth. He hated the world almost as much as he hated himself but he would not take his own life. He would not take away the last shred of his mother that was left on this planet. Instead, he would take his revenge on the world that took her from him. He would make them pay for always casting him aside, never believing in him.

He scribbled something down on a slip of paper and left it on the side table, next to the picture of him and his mother, before exiting the house for the last time.

* * *

Steve continued to stare as the pink haired woman, now apparently named Stella, went wide eyed and rushed towards him. Bruce scrambled to his feet quickly to help. He watched as Stella threw her arms around Steve's middle, the captain going stiff as a board as she squeezed him tightly.

"Blasting people through walls, bad," she said to him. "Hugging people, good."

Bruce bit back the small smile that had begun to form as she relayed Tony's teachings to Steve. The infirmary doors hissed open and the rest of the team walked in looking in extremely sore spirits.

"Sleeping Beauty, how you doi-" Tony stopped his greeting and smirked, "Oh you dog, you. Never knew you liked 'em rough."

Steve rolled his eyes and looked down at Stella who had her face pressed into his shirt. He reached up and patted her arm awkwardly, "You can...you can let go of me now, ma'am."

She didn't understand him and merely looked up at him in confusion. Her head turned to Tony and her eyes asked for help. Surely his advice would have worked. Surely this 'hugging' thing would have made things better. Gentle hands covered her own and loosened her grip on Steve. She felt herself being pulled back and turned to see Bruce's warm eyes leading her away.

"Your vitals indicated that you were awake," Natasha explained the reasoning behind their presence. "We came to see how you were."

"Yes, I am afraid that your absence impeded our ability to fry fish, Star Spangled Man."

Steve looked to Thor as Tony, Natasha, and Clint all rolled their eyes, "What?"

"Bep, bep, bep!" Tony cut in and held a finger out to stop Thor from saying anything else, "Stop speaking before you hurt yourself." The pink haired woman quickly walked over to stand partially behind Tony and the billionaire looked over at Bruce, "She's still doing this, huh? Great. We gotta work on that."

"What happened?" Steve asked pretty much anyone in general to explain _something_ to him.

"She freaked out," Bruce said at the same time Clint said, "We got our asses kicked."

Thor subtly looked behind him, not remembering being hit in the rear.

Bruce allowed Clint to explain first, "Some guy that calls himself Molecule Man robbed a bank over in Brooklyn. He can somehow manipulate air and throw things with his mind or something. Never seen anything like it. He even beat Thor's hammer."

"I have never met another being who can withstand the power of Mjolnir," Thor said.

"By the way, it's still weird that your hammer has a name," Tony said offhandedly.

Natasha stepped in before Thor could say anything back, "It appears that he can control molecules. Non-living matter, that is. If he can do anything else, we are not aware of it at this time."

Steve nodded, the entire thing going over his head a little, "Does Fury know?"

"Probably," Tony shrugged. "But you know him. He knows everything and tells us nothing. Do you think he has all the secrets to the universe written under that eyepatch? That could be worth looking into," he quickly pulled out his phone and started tapping away on it. Stella looked at the device, intrigued.

"She told us her name was Stella," Bruce told the team. "Just a few moments ago, actually."

"She remembered something?" Tony's eyebrows shot up and he reached over and ruffled Stella's hair, "Way to go!" Stella narrowed her eyes and did the same to Tony's hair, obvious annoyed at him having done that to her. Tony sighed, "Thanks, doll."

Fury chose that moment to walk in and Tony quickly slid his finger across the screen to hide whatever he had been doing. Stella reached out a finger and touched the phone. She pulled back when it lit up and pictures started popping up. Tony looked down at her as she went to touch the phone again.

"She just pulled up a Google search," Tony relayed to the team, "She just typed "akjfhkajd' and a bunch of commas. And now- no, don't push that that's...ah who cares? You can't read it anyway." Tony decided to just hand her the phone, "Go wild, kid."

Stella held the phone in her hands and stared at it for a minute before cautiously tapping various places. Bruce watched her careful movements and noticed how her eyes were focused. It was as if he could see the circuits of her brain working and committing everything to memory. A beeping noise sounded from the phone and caused Stella to startle. She held the phone closer to her face and viciously tapped against the screen with her finger, trying to get it to stop.

Fury blinked before turning to Steve, "Good to see you're up, Cap. I assume they've filled you in on our newest threat?"

Steve nodded, "Guy who can transform energy."

"Molecule Man," Fury nodded. "Facial recognition details him as Owen Reece. He used to work for Acme Atomic Corporation. Hasn't been at his job for a few days. We sent out a team to search his house. He lived with his mother," Fury started pacing with his arms behind his back, "She died a few months ago. We found a slip of paper on a side table next to their picture. It said 'I do this for her'."

"His mother?" Steve asked.

"That's what we think," Fury replied. "Apparently she was all he had left in this world." He narrowed his eye, "And now he has the power to end it."

"I doubt it," Tony said, "He's strong but not immortal."

"He's immortal as long as we can't get close enough to hit him," Natasha said. "And even if we _could_ get close enough he'd just vaporize our bullets."

A loud grumble sounded and the Avengers all stopped throwing out ideas of what they could possibly do to stop Molecule Man. Stella had stopped clicking away on Tony's phone and was looking around with alarmed eyes. The grumble sounded again and everyone turned to her and looked to her stomach. She furrowed her brow and hid behind Tony again.

"She's hungry," Bruce pointed out the obvious. "Do you think she...does she even know how to eat?"

"Probably not," Tony sighed. Upon receiving a look from Fury he rolled his eyes, "Nannying is _Coulson_'_s _job."

"_Was_ Coulson's job," Fury bit back with a hard tone.

Tony's eyes immediately hardened and everyone looked to the ground. He then took hold of Stella's arm and pulled her towards the doorway, "Come on, Supernova. Let's get you some food."

Fury stopped him and told him lowly, "Give her a room, teach her to eat, gain her _trust_, Stark. Understood?"

Tony pursed his lips and nodded minutely, "Fine. But don't complain to me when she's eating the curtains or something."

Stella grabbed the back of his shirt and followed him out but not before turning around and looking back to Bruce. He waved at her with a small smile before she disappeared down the hall. The scientist turned to the rest of the team.

"Anybody have a plan?"

"Yeah," Clint said. "Let's sleep and regroup in the morning. Does anybody realize that it's only been a day? I'm beat."

"She landed on Tony's car last night," Natasha said. "It's been _over_ a day."

Clint blinked and slumped his form.

"Feels like she's been here for longer," Bruce mused quietly to himself.

"I agree with the archer," Thor announced. "I too am quite tired and could use some rest," his stomach grumbled loudly as well, "and a well deserved feast is in order too!"

"Food always sounds good to you," Natasha remarked with a small smile.

"That it does, my lady. That it does."

Fury watched as Clint, Natasha, and Thor all left the room after he gave them the nod of approval. He turned to Steve and Bruce.

"Mind telling me what happened here?"

Bruce launched into his story about how the pink haired woman had a conniption when she saw the machines, carved something into the ground, and told him that her name was Stella. Fury looked to the ground and inspected the marks. From what Bruce could tell, he didn't seem to recognize it but he also didn't seem surprised either. There was a short line carved upwards and a longer line attached to it running towards the left.

"Do you know what that is, sir?" Steve asked as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. Thank goodness for the super soldier serum or else he would have been a dead man. Now all that ailed him were the tiny aches in his back from the force of hitting the walls.

"No," Fury shook his head. "But I have a hunch."

With that he left the room.

Bruce turned to Steve, "Guess he didn't feel like sharing."

Steve smiled slightly, "Does he ever?"

Both of them started for the door and Steve yawned. Bruce looked over at him, "How can you be tired? You slept for the entire day practically."

"She packs a punch," Steve defended himself as they walked to the elevators. "But food sounds good first."

"Agreed."

They took the lift down to one of the lower floors of Stark Tower. Their living quarters were two floors with no ceiling separating them. There was a sleek walkway with railings surrounding the top floor that had their rooms on it and two large staircases on either end that led down to the common area and open kitchen. The walkway looked down to the first floor. It was a huge living space, Bruce had to admit, and he quite liked living near everybody. It made him feel like part of a family rather than just part of a team. And of course Tony had insisted that everything be luxurious if he was 'going to be living with a bunch of crazies.'

When they entered they heard a loud commotion of various voices coming from the kitchen area.

"Don't eat that!"

"What a marvelous sandwich this will be!"

"I just need to get to the tea..."

"_Who_ drank all of the Gatorade?"

"Food?" Followed by a quick reply of, "No! Not food! That's a napkin."

"I shall take that, star woman."

"That's _it_. I'm going to _shoot_ the tea down if you don't move."

Steve and Bruce watched everyone managing to get in each others way in the massive kitchen for a few moments. Bruce found Tony trying to teach Stella how to eat particularly amusing. He had an apple laid out next to a sugar canister and he was trying to explain the difference between food and inedible objects. Thor walked by with a hearty smile on his face while carrying a _huge_ sandwich over to the table.

Steve walked over and sat at the table near Tony and Stella. The genius sighed.

"I'm thinking about just letting her figure this out on her own. What damage could it do? She fell from space and didn't die. What's one accidental pen swallow?"

"Child neglect," Bruce joked as he sat down as well.

"Can it, gamma ray. I'd like to see you try this. It's like speaking to an alien."

"She likes you best, though," Steve pointed out.

They watched as Stella chose the apple and held it up. Tony made a biting motion with his mouth and signaled for her to put the apple to her own. She did so and bit into it. After figuring out how to chew and swallow, thanks to Tony's gesturing, she smiled in contentment before taking another bite.

"Phew," Tony sighed. "Let's just keep her on a diet of apples. That was hard. Hey, Steve that room next to yours is open isn't it?"

Steve shrugged, "I think so. Why?"

Tony smacked his palms on the table and pushed his chair out, "Because _you_ get to teach her how to go to sleep. I've done enough. Really, look at her. She's flawless but I'm tired and can't keep up my genius while running on empty. You'll be fine. Just don't let her stay up too late."

"She shouldn't be in her own room right now, Tony," Bruce said. "She might hurt herself."

"Or become frightened," Natasha said as she walked over with a cup of tea.

"Fine," Tony groaned, "she can sleep with you then. Girly sleepover things and whatnot. You guys can do each other's hair, I don't care. I'm just tired. Today's been rough."

Natasha pursed her lips but nodded, "It will probably be most beneficial, no matter how much I dislike the idea."

Tony walked away tiredly, waving a hand above his head as a goodnight before walking towards the stairs. Thor sighed in contentment from his end of the table, his plate clean. He bid them all goodnight as well, followed by Clint who gave Natasha an encouraging pat on the back.

After much struggling, Natasha, Bruce, and Steve managed to explain the workings of sleep and preparing for bed to Stella. She was still confused as anything, nearly obliterating the sink in the bathroom when it turned on, but once they set her down on a cot and Steve pointed a finger at her and commanded "_stay,_" she seemed calmer.

Bruce and Steve left after Natasha told them that yes, she had everything under control. Stella stared at her from her spot on her cot and watched as the red headed assassin prepared for bed. Every movement she did, every ritual, Stella committed to memory. Brushing hair, brushing teeth, washing face, changing, making sure all of her weapons were neat and tidy and accounted for. As Natasha climbed into her bed Stella did the same. She laid down and stared at the ceiling.

"Goodnight, Stella," she heard from the bed next to her. She figured that that was what was said before what Steve told her was called "sleep" so she responded in kind.

"Goodnight...?"

"Natasha."

Stella nodded to herself in the dark, "Goodnight, Natasha."

Natasha quickly fell asleep but Stella remained awake. She wasn't comfortable and was having a hard time keeping her eyes closed like Bruce had instructed. She fidgeted beneath her covers and her eyes darted around the room. An uneasiness passed through her and she threw the covers off of her before getting up from the bed. She wrung her hands together like she had seen Bruce do and furrowed her brow. After inspecting the room she finally found a suitable place to sleep.

Natasha woke up the next morning to see an empty cot next to her. She jumped out of bed and ran out her door, hurrying over to the edge of the railing and looking down into the common area. Bruce was sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee and staring out at nothing.

"Dr. Banner!" She broke him from his trance. "Have you seen Stella?"

He shook his head and Tony's door opened. He peered out and said, "You lost her? And for the record, no shouting is permitted before eleven a.m."

Natasha rolled her eyes and Tony and Bruce made their way to her room. She peeked in the bathroom, wondering why hadn't looked there in the first place, and sighed. Stella lay soundly in the bathtub, curled up and asleep. She laughed a little to herself as Tony came up behind her.

"Oh, come on!" He groaned.

"What?" Bruce's voice sounded from the doorway.

"Don't come any closer, Dr. Blush. She's naked. _Again_."

* * *

**So it was a little long, but team bonding was in order and I need to get them past the first day. **

**Sorry for the delay. This is the longest chapter to date. Nice and long to make up for not posting for a few days. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and favorited and alerted! One last thing: Please please _please_ remember that Owen is ****not** an original character. I'm writing him as he was written in the comics. He is supposed to feel rushed because he was literally thrown into his power. He has a lot of mixed emotions and spontaneous decisions. Bear with him, please. He's a great character. And as always, reviews are lovely :]


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Marvel, only Stella and the plot.

* * *

Fury walked into the training room three days later and spotted Tony taking a break from sparring with Steve. He briskly walked over to him and waited for him to finish chugging down his water.

"Drink that too fast and you'll make yourself sick."

Tony wiped his mouth with his hand, "Nah. I got a stomach of iron." He smirked, "No pun intended."

"How goes assimilation?"

"Assimil- _why_ do you have to talk like that? Can't you just ask how Stella's doing?"

"You mean Operation: Starlight?"

Steve looked over now. "Her name is Stella. She's not a science experiment anymore," he said firmly. Tony nodded in agreement.

"Don't get too attached," Fury warned. "She's not part of this team."

Tony narrowed his eyes, "Then why did you tell me to gain her trust? What's your plan?"

"What are you using her for?" Steve demanded. He didn't like when Fury kept secrets, especially after the incident with the Hydra weapons.

"We're not using her for anything," Fury said pointedly. "But she's not human and she's dangerous. It's best to not get too close."

"She _is_ human," Steve growled before tossing his water bottle down and throwing his gloves to the ground. He stalked over to the treadmills and powered one up. Tony looked back to Fury with an angry expression.

"She may be naive and foreign, but don't you dare use her as some lab rat experiment," Tony said while taking off his gloves as well. "She doesn't have anybody else. We can handle your S.H.I.E.L.D bullshit but she can't."

Fury watched him go over to the weights where Thor was lifting the entire rack of dumbbells. He sighed to himself before scanning the huge gym in search of the pink haired woman that everyone had apparently started to affectionately call 'Stella'. Name or no name, she hadn't been cleared yet and Fury wondered to himself if tasking the Avengers with her insertion into society was the best course of action after all. He'd have to make a few changes. He spotted her over with Agent Barton by the firing range.

She was watching him shoot arrow after arrow into the bullseye. He switched between fancy moves, under the leg, backwards, upside down, and moves for agility like ducking behind objects or firing while sprinting and catapulting into the air. She was amazed at his finesse and the ease with which he and the bow worked together. She stared down at her hands and sighed.

Fury watched her from afar and caught Bruce's eye. He was sitting off to the side, reading over one of the Operation: Starlight files. The scientist nodded to the director without a smile. He knew that Fury knew more than he let on about Stella. He didn't know what it was, but if he was hiding it then it probably wasn't good. Fury's eye assessed Stella one more time before he left the gym.

Tony plopped himself down next to Bruce a moment later, "Find anything good?"

Bruce handed him the file, "I think I figured out why she sleeps in the bathtub."

Tony took the file and flipped through the documents. They were hastily thrown together, some of the last papers ever drawn up on Stella. They detailed her launch into space and the termination of the human growth project. A photograph was paper clipped to the inside of the folder. It was old and grainy but a cryogenic holding cell could be seen being loaded into the small shuttle that would be sent out into space.

"That's where she spent all of her time these past years," Tony said to himself. Then to Bruce, "She feels safe in there."

"No pain came to her when she was inside," Bruce added softly.

"Cryogenics," Tony stated. "They didn't really kick off until 1966 after the war had long since ended. She had to have been one of the first living test subjects. Fury said she was sent up in 1960, didn't he?"

"They found a way to freeze her blood," Bruce nodded and said, pointing to a specific text with his finger, "so that they could preserve her and knock her out for a few hundred years."

"They found a way to freeze a star," Tony said, astonished. "Whoever did this was...was-"

"A genius?" Bruce supplied.

"I was going to say a god among men, but yeah that's close. I mean look at me- _us_, I mean, look at _us_. Hey, did we ever figure out what that marking was that she drew?"

"No idea still. None of the photos I've seen have shown anything too revealing about where she was." Bruce shook his head, remembering her eyes, "But she was really scared. Whatever she remembered could not have been pleasant."

"Well how she came to be was probably not filled with nice feelings and hugs and rainbows."

"There's also no record of any files being sent out into space with her like Fury said."

"Huh," Tony said, thinking.

"What did Fury say to you?"

Tony's jaw set as he laid the file down on his lap, "That we shouldn't get too attached. That she isn't human and isn't part of the team."

"A little too late for that," Bruce said, nodding his head over to where Stella was clapping as Clint landed another shot into the bullseye. The archer smiled over at her and bowed. Natasha had no doubt shown her how to react to something she liked. In the past three days Stella had learned a fair amount of things and could speak a little better, but she still had a _long_ way to go.

"Yeah," Tony nodded. "She grows on you. Literally. I can't go anywhere without her holding onto the back of my shirt."

Bruce smiled and pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, "I don't think she'll hurt us."

"Me either," Tony said, swishing the water around in his bottle as they both watched the pink haired woman smile.

The sound of several beeps going off sounded around the room. Stella shot up from her seat and her hands started glowing. Clint held his hands up and shook his head, signaling that nothing was wrong. The glow faded and Clint gently pushed her arms back down to her sides.

The Avengers all rushed to their pagers and read the message.

_Molecule Man spotted by Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Avengers Assemble._

They all rushed out of the gym and Natasha grabbed Stella's hand and placed it on her back. The pink haired woman gripped the assassins shirt and ran out with the rest of the team. They all gathered in the debriefing room and Stella sat down next to Bruce. The scientist looked over at her and gave her a small smile which she returned.

"Avengers," Fury greeted as he walked in. He looked to Stella and sighed, "Stella."

"Don't sound so tortured," Tony said. "You're calling her by her name not selling a kidney."

"Kidney?" Stella asked Bruce quietly.

He pointed to his upper torso on either side. "You have two of them as well," he explained and then added, "At least I think you do."

She nodded and focused in on what was being discussed, silently feeling around for these so called kidneys.

"We need you all to go down there and see what he's up to," Fury said. "That includes you, Banner. Agent Hill will keep an eye on Stella."

Stella rolled her eyes -something she picked up from Tony and Natasha- and said quietly, "Not a child."

"Of course you're not, doll," Tony said from her other side. "He's just cranky."

"I am _cranky _because a dangerous man is looking at a _bridge_ right now, Stark. Now you best all be getting your asses down there _now_."

They all got up and Tony ruffled Stella's hair. She grumbled and tried to fix it while looking around for the person who would be 'keeping an eye' on her. A woman with dark, pulled back hair walked in just as the Avengers exited and stood tall, hands clasped behind her back.

"Stella," she greeted without emotion. "If you'd come with me. I'm Agent Hill."

Stella looked to Fury and he gave her a slight nod. She got up and reached for Agent Hill's back. The S.H.I.E.L.D agent furrowed her brow but allowed her to hold onto her shirt anyway. She escorted the strange woman out of the room and over to a massive room with agents behind computers and monitors covering the walls. There was a lot of chatter floating about and the sounds of busy fingers typing away on keyboards could be heard.

Agent Hill led Stella over to a big desk surrounded by four monitors. From their vantage point they could look out across the room and see every agent at his or her respective station. The screens were blank, the only thing on them being the S.H.I.E.L.D emblem. Maria pointed to a chair.

"You can sit there."

Stella took a seat and watched as Agent Hill tapped a track pad and the screens came to life. All four screens immediately filled with information. One held everything known about Owen Reece and Acme Atomics Corporation, one held tracking data and facial recognition scans that had pinpointed Owen's location, and the two closest to Stella showed New York City, more specifically Staten Island and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Stella was in awe of the technology. This was even more magnificent than Tony's cell phone, as she had come to learn it was called.

She tentatively reached out a hand and Agent Hill snapped, "Don't touch that!"

"I am sorry," Stella said as she pulled back her hand.

Agent Hill sighed, "It's alright. You didn't know."

Stella watched the screens for a few minutes before quickly becoming bored. She turned to the woman next to her with a slightly puzzled expression, "Your name is...Agent?"

The woman let a small smile grace her pretty face as she shook her head and typed something into the computer, "No, my name is Maria. 'Agent' is just my status in S.H.I.E.L.D."

Maria knew that Stella didn't understand the whole of what she was saying, but she looked like she got the gist of it. The pink haired woman nodded to herself and fiddled with her fingers - something Maria noticed Bruce did a lot.

"You seem to be getting along well with the team," Maria remarked after watching Stella for several minutes.

Stella licked her lips and nodded, her eyes cast downward, "I am safe."

Maria figured that Stella meant that she felt safe while with the Avengers and the agent couldn't help but smile a little bigger. Here was a woman who knew nothing of this world, had no clue where she was or _who_ she was, and she had found a place among the world's mightiest heroes. Fury seemed to think the discovery of Stella was a bad omen, but Maria was starting to believe differently.

The screen to the far right started to show some movement and both women turned towards it in interest. They watched a man with horrible scars covering his face emerge from the riverbank below the bridge. He had on a green suit with a purple tie in the shape of a lightning bolt. A sleek black dress shirt peeked out from underneath. His chestnut hair was wild, as if it had been electrocuted, and he had a look on his face that Maria couldn't quite place. It was as if his heart wasn't fully in his cause, or himself, perhaps.

"That's what he spent the money on?" She mused to herself as she surveyed his suit. "He looks like Barney."

Stella looked over at her, "Barney?"

"He's a big green and purple dinosaur," Maria quickly explained while waving her hand impassively. She was staring at the screen intently and didn't notice when Stella's eyes widened in confusion at the answer given. Eventually, she turned her own eyes to the screens and let out a small gasp.

"Tony!" She said as she sprung up from her seat and leaned in towards the screen. She frantically turned towards Maria, "He is so small! Help him!"

"No no no, he's not _in_ the screen. This is footage," Maria held her hands up to represent a camera, "from a video camera. It's fed to our monitors," she explained slowly. Stella sat back down, her eyes still slightly wide.

"Steve!" She said excitedly as she pointed at Captain America. "And Bruce!"

"They're all there," Maria said. "They're going to fight _him_," she pointed to Owen.

"Molecule Man," Stella said slowly, piecing everything together.

* * *

Tony landed softly on the ground and set Bruce down as well. The scientist looked about ready to puke but he was trying to keep it together. Steve and Thor touched down next to them and the Asgardian settled his hammer at his side.

"Fastest way to travel, buddy," Tony said while clapping an iron hand against Bruce's back. Bruce lurched forward and almost heaved at the force. "Sorry."

"Agent Barton and Agent Romanov should be here soon," Steve said to them. "Fury said that Molecule Man was-"

"Right here."

Steve felt the wind being knocked out of him as he was forced back and into a nearby tree. Tony snapped his head around to locate Owen just in time for a tree to swing around and bat him off like a baseball. Bruce ducked and the tree missed him. He rolled over onto the ground and watched as Thor readied his hammer.

"I do not know how you have managed to defeat us but you will not succeed this time, strange man of molecules!"

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth did the god fly towards Owen, a fierce battle cry accompanying him. Owen held up his hand as Thor brought down Mjolnir and a wave of energy cut across the area. Owen had managed to match Mjolnir's enchanted power somehow. Bruce watched the bridge give a shutter.

"Midgardian! How are you making such feats?" Thor demanded as he went to strike again.

Owen smirked, "I am simply stronger."

Bruce watched Thor fly backwards and land on Steve just as he had managed to catch his breath. Steve wheezed and fell back down. Tony blasted the tree off of himself and fired a barrage of pulses at Owen. The area erupted into light and Bruce shielded his eyes. When the smoke had cleared Owen remained, his hand raised in the air. The remnants of a force field faded away and the Avengers looked at him, stunned.

"Impressive, isn't it?"

"We're fucked," Tony said before being blasted into the air again.

* * *

**I'm terribly sorry that this has taken me so long to get out. I rewrote this chapter three times. I still don't really like it, but it had to be done. The second part will be up shortly. I figure that it will make up for my lack of updating practically all week. Again, I'm so sorry about that.**

**As always, I love every single one of everyone's reviews. They're wonderful and make my day. I'm so glad people are liking this story. It makes me smile :] Thanks again, guys!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer**: Don't own Marvel. Only Stella and the plot are mine.

* * *

"Tony!" Stella screeched again as she saw him being thrown backwards. Her chair scraped against the floor and fell over as she stood up. She quickly left Maria and walked down the metal catwalk that passed through the rows of agents and analysts. Maria hurried to keep up with her.

"Where are you going?" She demanded as she reached for Stella's arm. The pink haired woman turned around, her jaw set and her eyes completely silver.

"He is hurting them," she stated through gritted teeth before walking out of the room completely.

Maria stood still, alarmed at the force of Stella's words and the glow of her eyes. She brought a hand to her ear, "Sir, we have a problem."

Fury's voice answered her, "_Let it happen_."

Maria looked up and saw Fury watching over the room from above. He simply nodded to her and turned away.

Stella was rushing through Stark Tower, desperately trying to find a way out of its labyrinth when she was blocked by a large body of black leather. She smashed into it and fell backwards, looking up and rubbing her nose.

Fury stared down at her, "Going somewhere?"

"Tony! Steve! _Bruce!_" She said frantically. "E-e-everyone!"

"Calm down," Fury said. "Follow me."

"NO!" She screamed, leaning forward and clenching her fists. "No! Help them!"

Fury was taken aback by her yelling at him and raised an eyebrow, "I'm taking you to them."

Stella's shoulders slumped in relaxation, "Oh."

Fury rolled his eyes and offered her the back of his coat, "Come on."

* * *

Tony was in pain and his suit was badly damaged. Owen kept repelling every blow that was being sent out. Tony was starting to wonder why the bastard even continued fighting them. Did he think it was all a game? The billionaire couldn't help but notice, however, that sometimes in between blows Owen's face would be laced with fear. It would only flash for a second and then it would disappear, but Tony would always notice it. He watched a giant green mass crash down onto the ground.

Steve rushed over to Tony, his shield raised in defense, "Hulk can't even help us."

"Damnit," Tony said as he brushed himself off. "He was our wild card."

"Not wild enough," Natasha, who had finally reached the scene with Clint, said as she reloaded her gun. "Why are we still trying?"

"No idea," Steve winced in pain. "We should fall back."

A wave of energy sent them all to the ground again. Natasha cried out as her shoulder slammed against an overturned tree stump. She looked up through bleary eyes to see one of Clint's arrows come back and stick him in the thigh. The archer fell and held his leg in pain.

"HULK SMA_-_" the cry was cut off by a loud crash as Owen sent the Hulk hurtling into a tree again.

"You Avengers say how strong you are and how you can _protect_ Earth," he laughed without humor. "You can't even protect yourselves."

He raised his hand to finish them, as Tony assumed was going to happen, but a silver light blasted his side. Owen screamed out and stumbled over.

"What the-?" The lab rat turned villain looked over, holding his hand to his side, and tried to spot the source of the blast.

"What was that?" Steve asked as he ducked behind a nearby rock.

Tony groaned and rolled over onto his knees, attempting to push himself off the ground, "It better be on our side or else I'm drowning myself."

The Hulk bounded up to them and clenched his fists, ready to attack. He spotted something just over the hill of the river bank and tilted his head.

"Stell-a?" He said unsurely in his deep voice.

"What'd you say, big guy?" Tony asked.

"Look!" Thor boomed. "The star woman is just over there!"

"Way to announce it to the world," Clint said. He hissed as the arrow in his leg shifted. "Son of a bitch. Not you, not you!" He said quickly as Thor's head snapped towards him. "Not talking about _your_ mom."

Owen got to his feet and faced Stella who was looking down at him with fear in her eyes. Upon seeing the Avengers ducking behind various objects, bruised and injured, her face hardened and her eyes glowed.

"And who are you?" He asked.

She didn't answer but instead fired another blast at him. He swatted it away but gasped as his hand burned. He looked down and saw blue sparks crackling around a fresh burn mark. So her powers _could_ hurt him, huh? Interesting. He'd best be more careful when deflecting them, then.

"I like you," he said. "You're a challenge."

Stella stepped back a little. She didn't know what 'challenge' meant but was given no time to ponder the meaning as Owen threw a blast of energy at her. The Avengers watched the blast hit her square in the stomach and send her hurtling over the top of the hill.

"_RAAAAGHHH!" _The Hulk screamed out in anger as he ran towards Owen. He caught the man off guard and tackled him to the ground.

Stella flew backwards and slumped against the S.H.I.E.L.D issued black SUV. Fury stood with his arms crossed as she looked up at him, hurt and afraid. She didn't know how to control what she was. These lights in her hands, they frightened her.

"Not a good man," she said to him, referring to Owen.

"No," Fury shook his head. "And he's hurting your friends. What are you going to do about it?"

Stella got to her feet and flexed her fingers, "You will not help?"

Fury showed her his hands, "These aren't like yours."

Stella looked down to her own hands and then back up at the man she thought had hated her. His eye was daring her to move, daring her to _try_. She bit her lip, her eyes wide as a doe's, and swallowed hard.

"You're not human," Fury insisted, "but that doesn't mean you have to be like him."

Both of them looked to see Owen and the Hulk facing off against each other. Owen would deflect and shoot out energy, sending the Hulk back each time, but the Hulk would always come back and try to attack again. Tony was firing energy pulsars from a distance, trying to catch the villain off guard while he was sparring with the Hulk, but no such luck. The man would always notice and dissolve the energy into thin air.

Steve was barking out orders, trying everything in an attempt to not fall back, "Black Widow, hit him with all you got! Hawkeye, got any exploding arrows in there? Thor...can we get a little lightning?"

Thor smirked from behind the safety of an embankment, "You may, Star Spangled Man."

Owen was hit by only one of Natasha's bullets, the others flying off of him with the flick of his wrist. The wound slowed him down but not enough. He forced the Hulk off of him and up into the air. He came smashing down in a green heap and groaned. Owen sent one of Hawkeye's electric arrows up into a lightning blast that Thor had summoned and shot it right at the heroes. They all flew upward like bowling pins and landed hard on the ground.

Stella rushed down the hill and knocked into Owen, her fists gleaming with silver light. Blue streaks shot across the orbs as she pummeled her fists into Owen's sides. He shot out at her and she rolled over. Owen glanced over at the fallen pink haired woman and saw something on her when her hair flipped away from the back of her neck. His eyes widened slightly but then he smirked. Oh, this was _good_.

"GO AWAY!" She yelled.

"So childish," Owen chided. "Who let you out of day care?"

She stared Owen down, "You hurt my friends."

"Words of advice," Owen said to her, "_nobody_ is your friend. You will be alone in this world in the end. You will have _no one_."

Stella lowered her hands, "You do not have anybody?" Her eyes were wide and sad. Sad for Owen and his loneliness.

Owen faltered for a moment, stunned by her genuine care. Her naivety would work to his advantage. She was like he was before the accident: shy, lost, _afraid_.

"Look at those fools," he said with a gesture towards the fallen Avengers. "They're weak. They're not like you and me. You could be something extraordinary. I could help you."

Stella took a step back, confused, "You hurt me."

"You attacked me first," he countered.

"He is tricking you, star woman!" Thor called to her. The god was all too familiar with mischief and mind games. A sad swelling gathered in his heart for his brother.

"Am I?" Owen asked. "These people have held you for days. How do you know that _they_ are not tricking you?"

The Hulk stood up and made to rush towards them. He roared out "STELLA!" before crashing into an invisible wall. Owen had surrounded the two of them with a forcefield. Three days of vigorous exploring of his condition had given him a better grasp on what he could do, who he was.

Stella threw out more blasts, facing away from him and hoping that her orbs hit him. She wasn't looking at him -she was too afraid. When she looked up, Owen was on the ground. He wiped some blood from his mouth and smirked.

"Let me know if you wish to know the truth," he said before disappearing.

The forcefield dropped and Hawkeye looked around, "Are you shittin' me? He can vanish, too? What gives?"

"He can manipulate molecules, Clint," Natasha reminded him. "He can probably use them to travel at faster speeds."

"That's stupid," he groaned out as she helped him to his feet. The arrow stuck out of his thigh painfully and at an angle.

Tony helped Steve up and Thor went over to inspect where Owen had been standing. Stella looked to the giant green creature that was getting to his feet. His eyes locked onto hers and she flinched, covering her face with her hands. The Hulk crouched next to her and poked her with a huge finger.

"Stella okay?"

Stella uncovered her face and stared into giant brown eyes. They were warm but filled with a subtle rage, like at any moment the being could lash out and attack. The eyes stared into her own silver ones and she wrung her hands together as she inspected the creature. He meant her no harm; that much she knew. Tentatively, she put one shaking finger on his outstretched one. She looked up at his face again and tilted her head.

Tony nudged Steve and they both watched as Stella walked up to the Hulk's chest. She got in his face and squinted her eyes, her lips pursed in thought.

"Bruce?" She asked quietly.

The green creature huffed in offense, "Hulk."

"Hulk," she mouthed to herself. "Where is Bruce?" She voiced louder.

The Hulk held out his hand for her to take but Stella had no idea what he was asking. She looked over to Thor, who was closest, and the god signaled that she was to take it. He placed both of his hands together to demonstrate. She nodded and timidly placed her tiny hand in the Hulk's large green one. He slowly and gently brought her hand to his chest and laid it there. She felt the steady _bump bump_ of his heart underneath her fingers and smiled slightly.

"Bruce?"

The Hulk nodded, "Bruce in here."

The two stared at each other and Tony cracked his back inside his suit.

"Yeah, not that this isn't cute in the weirdest way possible, but bird man is injured over here so if we could just, you know, wrap this up? That'd be great."

Fury appeared over the hill, "At least you all didn't blow up Manhattan."

"Not our fault," Steve mumbled as Tony said, "How do you keep _showing up_?"

"We didn't catch him, sir," Natasha told Fury with her head bowed.

"I know," Fury told her. "I didn't want you to."

"What?"

Fury looked at Stella, "It was a test."

"A test?" Tony demanded, his suit sparking from being damaged. "She could have been _killed_! She's never been trained for battle! What the hell were you thinking?"

Stella broke eye contact with the Hulk and ran over to Tony. She threw her arms around his suited middle and sighed, "You are okay!"

He patted her head, "Yeah, Supernova, I'm fine. Thanks to you," he gave Fury a hard look over Stella's head.

"Can we finish this lovers' quarrel back at the tower?" Hawkeye asked. "I'm seeing stars over here."

"That is Stella that you are seeing, Hawk man!"

"Hawkeye, Thor," Clint mumbled. "It's Hawk_eye."_

"My mistake. However, I would like to know where Molecule Man went. I do not like the fact that a foe is running rampant throughout the city."

"Meeting in a half an hour, then," Fury said before turning to go back to the SUV. "Agent Barton, Romanov, you can ride with me."

"And me?" Stella asked as she pulled away from Tony. She looked at Fury with hopeful eyes for she was not sure how to get back to Stark Tower on her own.

"Stark can take you," was all Fury said before getting into the SUV.

Stella looked down, completely heartbroken at his snub. So he _still_ didn't like her? She thought she had been doing so well...

"Don't worry, doll. He doesn't like anybody," Tony said as he slung an arm around her shoulders. "Let's go home."

Tony lifted her into the air and she felt air rush beneath her feet. She felt light as a feather as Tony propelled them higher into the air. Steve and Thor zipped by them and Stella looked down. Her eyes locked onto warm brown ones as the green creature became even tinier and tinier.

"Bruce," she whispered to herself. "Be safe."

* * *

**I wanted to get this chapter out before I crashed for the night. A lot of things were thrown out in this one and they will all be explained in due time! Be patient, my prettie****s :]**

**As always, the BIGGEST thank you to everyone who reviewed or put this on their favorites/alerts lists. It all means the world to me. I can't even explain how happy I am!**

**Also, I apologize if there are any errors. I reread this three times but I'm really tired and the Game Of Thrones finale killed my poor emotions. Anywho, the next chapter will be up very soon! So stay tuned!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** Ya'll know I don't own Marvel or the Avengers _or_ Ferris Bueller. I only own Stella and the plot.

* * *

Steve was first to barge into the debriefing room. The automatic doors almost had no time to open as the super soldier stormed through them with an angry scowl set across his face.

"Mind telling us just what the hell you were thinking sending her out there like that?" He demanded of Fury. The man in question stood with his arms folded across his chest like always. Steve briefly wondered if he had ever seen the man sitting down.

"Captain Rogers, I don't see how that's any of your concern."

"This is _my_ team and they're _my_ responsibility. I don't appreciate you almost getting one of them killed."

"From what I saw she saved your asses," Fury shot back. "And let's not forget that it's _my_ team, not yours. I put you all together and I can break you all up. Understood?"

Steve's jaw set and he bit back a sour comment. He didn't nod and instead slammed his fists down on the table before taking a seat. He stared angrily at the smooth, glossy surface of the table and glared at his reflection. It _was_ his team, damnit...

Thor came in next, "I do not understand what type of Midgardian test that was, nor did I appreciate it either."

Fury said nothing as the rest of the team trickled in. Stella had a firm grip on the back of Tony's shirt as the pair entered the room.

"I believe that I do not like flying," she whispered uneasily.

Tony rolled his eyes, "Seriously guys, is my flying _that_ bad?"

Hawkeye diverted his eyes and smirked, pretending he didn't hear the billionaire.

Stella looked around the room, "Where is Bruce?"

"Dr. Banner will regroup with us later," Natasha told her softly. "He needs time to cool down."

"Oh," the pink haired woman said. And then with a furrowed brow asked, "What does 'cool down' mean?"

"Remember how Bruce was that huge green thing?" Tony asked. Stella nodded quickly, "Well, he needs time to deflate back into the little bashful scientist we all know and love. Plus," Tony smirked down at her, "the Hulk doesn't exactly fit in one of these chairs."

Stella nodded and smiled, satisfied with his answer, before sitting down in a chair. She looked down at the table and saw her reflection. Her wild, pink hair was stuck with leaves and debris from being tossed around while fighting Molecule Man and her face was smudged with dirt. Her eyes snapped over to Natasha, who was the picture of perfection, and Stella quickly starting removing the leaves and attempting to wipe off the dirt from her cheeks. She stopped her ministrations when she noticed Steve's reflection right next to hers. He was still angrily staring at the table.

"Steve?" Stella asked quietly. She watched as his reflection's eyes met those of her own reflection. "You are sad."

He looked over and his face softened. Just as he was about to answer her Fury decided to start talking.

"I had a hunch," Tony rolled his eyes at this, "that the source of Molecule Man's power was something akin to what Stella is made out of."

Stella fidgeted in her seat. She was still uncomfortable with Fury constantly telling her she was not like the others.

"I wanted to see if my theory was correct. It was. While you guys were getting your asses mercilessly handed to you by an ex lab rat, S.H.I.E.L.D agents did a sweep of Acme Atomics Corporation over in Brooklyn. It came to my attention that Owen may have been involved in the explosion that happened." Fury put his hands on the table and leaned forward, "He was."

"How did they know that?" Clint asked. "Was there video?"

"No," Fury shook his head, "but an employee said that the last time he had seen Owen was in the stock room. Apparently, Owen went to the basement for some new slides and never came back. We found this down there."

Fury pointed a remote at the giant monitor at the head of the table and a picture of a particle generator popped up. Tony stood and walked over to get a closer look. He rubbed his beard in thought and turned back to Fury.

"This thing is huge. There's no way- _why_ was this down there?"

Fury pursed his lips, "Apparently Acme Corp. was experimenting with a super particle before they turned all of their focus onto nuclear energy. My guess is that the super particle kept giving them dead ends or was extremely dangerous so they decided to scrap the project."

"Because nuclear energy is always safe," Natasha mumbled and rolled her eyes. She was Russian. She knew a thing or two about nuclear explosions.

"And we think Owen somehow turned it on and was blasted with the stuff?" Tony referred back to the generator.

"Exactly," Fury nodded. "I had some S.H.I.E.L.D techs look at the generator and they found this inside."

He clicked the remote again and another picture popped up. The interior of the generator was streaked with a brilliant blue glow. The marks looked like jagged tiger stripes and they shimmered with power. Thor stood up from his chair.

"The Tesseract!" He said while looking over to Stella. She frowned and looked down. What was a Tesseract?

"Thor's right," Steve said, finally relinquishing his super glare on his reflection. "That's the Cube for sure."

"The Tesseract is safe in the relic room of Asgard," Thor said, still standing. "So why does a- a _nuclear_ company have a piece of it?"

"They've had it," Fury told the god. "For a long time now, actually. Did you know that the Tesseract that is now on your home planet hasn't been the first of its kind?"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"Are you saying there's more than one Cube running about?" Clint asked.

"Precisely, Agent Barton. Although they have all fizzled out after a while. The one that your father now holds, Thor, is the only one we know of that hasn't lost its power."

"Where do they come from?" Tony asked. Then he shrugged, "I want one. Why don't we get to have one? Not fair. Somebody look into that. Wish list it."

Fury stared hard at the Avengers, debating whether or not he should tell them his theory. Steve was staring at him so intensely that Fury thought the captain might have an aneurism. Thor did not look too far behind. _Oh what the hell,_ he thought. _Can't get any worse._

"We think the Cubes come from space."

"Not surprising," Natasha said. "Thor is _from_ space."

"Asgard," Thor replied, a tad offended. "I am from Asgard, my lady."

"What I _mean_ is that we think the Tesseract is being _put here_ from another planet."

"Not more aliens," a groan sounded from the doorway. Bruce Banner walked in looking all the world like someone who was just run over by a large vehicle and then drug through the mud. He was cleaning his glasses off with his shirt but to no avail. His shirt was beyond dirty -what was left of it, anyway.

"Bruce! You are safe!" Stella gave him a thousand-watt smile from her seat.

"Yeah, Stell. I'm safe," he smiled shyly over at her as she continued to beam.

"You, my friend, could use a shower," Tony joked. "Nice to see you're alive and _didn't_ have to steal a motorcycle this time."

"You kidding me? I parked it out front," he joked back in his soft voice. The two geniuses laughed and Stella kept smiling, happy that everyone was back together.

"So aliens, huh?" Bruce said after giving up on trying to clean his glasses. He tucked them into his shirt pocket instead.

"The Cubes have all shown up during times of intense crisis. Pivotal moments of history, like World War II," he looked to Steve. "We think that that can't be a coincidence. _Someone_ had to put them here."

"But who?" Tony asked. "Who wants to meddle in our Earth business? Why can't they mess with the Chitauri? They were much more interesting." He paused and added, "And scarier."

"Well it doesn't matter now," Fury began to change the subject. "They're not attacking so we shouldn't be asking questions. Our main concern is that we now have a super charged cosmic criminal on our hands."

"And only one sure fire way to stop him," Natasha said solemnly while looking at Stella.

The pink haired woman blinked and pointed at herself, "Me?"

"You managed to land a blow on Molecule Man today," Fury said to her. "You might be our only hope."

"_That's_ why you sent her out there?" Steve fumed. "On a _hunch_?"

"We ran tests when we first brought her in, Captain. I wouldn't have sent her out there if I didn't think she could have helped," Fury defended his choices.

"What you _think_ and what she could have _done_ are two different things," Steve argued back. "What if she was afraid? What if she hurt one of us again? What if she hurt herself?"

"I would never hurt one of you again," Stella said quickly, her eyes beginning to glisten as she remembered the way Steve looked after she had blasted him through the walls.

"Look what you've done," Tony snapped quietly. "You're making her cry. Nice going."

"I'm sorry, Stella," Steve said quietly to her. "I know you wouldn't want to intentionally hurt one of us."

"But I could," Stella looked down at her hands. "I do not know how to..." She sighed, "I _could_."

"She can't control herself," Bruce told them. "She's afraid of losing control." Then he whispered to himself, "Like me."

Bruce knew that Stella had heard him, but she chose to say nothing. She continued to stare down at her hands, wondering how so much pain could come from such small things. They were so slender and tiny. _How_ could they be so horrible and deadly?

"Then we teach her how," Fury said. "I need whatever forces I can muster to go against Owen Reece. He's powerful and dangerous and must be stopped sooner rather than later if that's not too much to ask."

"He's self-doubting, too," Tony added. "I saw it in his eyes, you know, before he turned cold again and threw me into a tree which, by the way, _does_ hurt even in a giant iron suit."

"Then we use that doubt against him," Steve said. "Anything associated with the cube is never good." His eyes shifted to Stella who by now had sunken even further in her seat, "Except for you, Stell."

Stella looked down at the table again and examined her face. Her porcelain skin was smooth even under the dusting of dirt that smudged her face. Her eyes held sadness and confusion. Who _was_ she? Why her? Why these people? She did not look like Owen Reece. She was no monster. What Steve said though, that couldn't be unheard. _Anything associated with the cube is never good._ Perhaps Owen had been right.

She rose from her seat abruptly and left the room. Thor had seen her eyes, right before she left, and had known the look all too well: someone finding out how dangerous he or she really was. He swiftly exited the room after her, leaving the rest of the team to stare after them in silence. Steve put his head in his hands.

"Stella! Please wait, star woman. I would have words with you," Thor called to her gently.

Stella stopped walking and turned to him, her silver eyes beginning to glisten again, "I am lost."

Thor caught up with her and the pair began to walk again. He asked carefully, "Lost in the tower or lost in life?"

Stella's eyes looked from under her eyelids at the walls encasing them, "Both."

"Well, it is a good thing then that you are never truly alone in Stark Tower," Thor told her with a small smile. He then held up one finger, "_Or_ in life."

They rounded a corner and Stella said meekly, "I am unlike the rest of you."

"Well of course you are not like us, friend Stella! You are unique. Captain Rogers is unlike me and I am unlike him. The same with Hawk_eye _and the Man of Iron. Do you see? We are all our own person."

"Molecule Man told me-"

"Do not listen to that fiend, Stella. He is trying to put lies in your head," Thor's tone was filled with bitterness and a twinge of heartache. "He is different and he cannot cope with it. He does not understand that there are people willing to help him."

Stella put a finger to her lips in thought. She had a feeling that Thor was no longer talking about Owen. They stepped onto the lift and Thor unconsciously pressed a button.

"You think yourself not worthy to be with us?"

Stella shook her head, looking down at her feet, "I could hurt you."

"Ah, but you will not," Thor said with a slight smile. He held his hands in front of his torso and bounced once on his feet, "I know that you will not."

"How?" Her eyes were wide and curious, still laced with a longing to understand who she was.

Thor gave her a warm smile and brought his hand over to her chest. He gently tapped it with his index finger and nodded, "Because what is in there is what separates you from the people who do harm. You are no villain, star woman. I can assure you of that."

The elevator doors opened and Thor exited. Stella was so deep in thought that she barely made it through the doors before they closed again. She looked back at them, still amazed by the strange traveling contraption, and hurried to catch up with the Asgardian. They made it back to the Avengers' quarters and Thor turned to her.

"My brother was much like you," he said sadly. "Confused and afraid. He felt that he belonged nowhere and he rebelled against all who loved him. He hurt all who loved him. I want you to know that there _are_ people who care about you. Last time, he knew too late." His eyes trailed off and he said sadly, "I do not care about your origin of birth or what you look like." His eyes locked onto hers, "You are now my friend, Stella, and I will be there for you until the very end."

Stella's eyes watered and she smiled at the large, blonde god in front of her. With a sniffle she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around his middle. He laughed heartily and returned the hug.

"Now," he said as he pulled her away and held her at arms length, "Friend Stark has introduced me to these wonderful Midgardian things called 'movies'. They are moving pictures! I do believe that you will enjoy them. Come! Let us watch one."

The rest of the Avengers filed in a while later. All were annoyed by Fury's secrecy and the way that he seemed to have no regard for Stella's wellbeing. Steve was especially upset because he knew that he had been the one to cause the pink haired woman to flee the debriefing room in sadness. So, when he walked in behind the rest of the team and heard her lighthearted laugh sounding from the living room area, he was pleasantly surprised. A small smile instantly came to his lips.

"What's this?" Tony held his arms out. "Movie night and _I_ wasn't invited? After all I did for you, Supernova," he said jokingly.

Stella peaked her head out from over the couch and grinned, "Join us! Thor made these oddly shaped treats."

She held up a bowl filled with popcorn and Clint chuckled, taking a few for himself, "That's called popcorn, Stell. I'm surprised they came out so well." He whispered loudly to her, "Last time Thor made popcorn he burned it."

The god huffed, "Midgardian heating devices are silly. I do not like the so called 'microwave'."

"What are you watching?" Natasha asked as she sauntered over to the couch after starting the kettle for some tea.

"The comedic tribulations of a boy named Ferris Bueller," Thor answered.

"I have never seen this," the female assassin replied.

"Oh, it is quite humorous, Natasha. He and his friends have decided not to attend school for the day and are running about the city of Chicago."

"Huh," she said as she climbed over the back of the couch and sat at the far end.

Clint sat indian style in front of Stella and she handed the bowl of popcorn down to him. He smiled in thanks and munched away as his eyes glued to the screen. Tony shrugged to himself and sat down next to Thor, pulling his ankle up to rest on the knee of his other leg.

He snapped his fingers at Clint, "Hey, pass that popcorn, would ya? Is there butter on this? Pepper would kill me but hey, butter is the way to go."

"I do not think the pepper or the salt will be mad, Tony," Stella said over to him.

Tony chuckled, thoroughly amused at her child-like naivety, "No, doll, Pepper is my girlfriend. Her first name is Virginia but we just call her Pepper."

Stella's mouth formed an 'o' shape as Bruce walked over. He looked down at himself before sighing, "I'm going to go change."

Stella looked up at him, "Will you come back?"

He put his hands in his pockets and nodded with shrugged shoulders, "Yeah, I'll come back."

Stella beamed and turned back to the screen, her knees pulled up to her chest and a look of wonder on her face. Bruce smiled to himself. He couldn't say no to that face.

Steve watched him go and looked down at himself. He was still wearing his uniform, so he might as well go change as well. Stella probably didn't want anything to do with him after what he had said, anyway. He quietly made his way to the stairs.

"Steve!" Stella called. "You will come back too?"

He smiled to himself, one hand on the railing, "I'll come back, Stell."

"Good," she said before stealing a piece of popcorn from the bowl on Tony's lap.

A few minutes later Bruce and Steve rejoined the group. Stella patted the seat next to her and Bruce blushed as he sat down. Tony smirked over at him as he popped another piece of popcorn into his mouth. Natasha smiled down into her steaming mug of tea as she curled against the arm of the couch. Steve sat down next to her and folded his hands neatly in his lap. Movies had sure come a long way...

Stella smiled to herself as Thor's words replayed over in her head. She looked down the couch and rested her head on her knees. Steve looked over at her and she smiled, trying to show that she was not angry at him for what he had said. He smiled back and she was content. The Avengers continued to watch the events of Ferris Bueller's life unfold in front of them and Stella smiled to herself. She had people here for her who cared. She would not turn into Owen Reece. She would not turn into a monster. She turned her attention back on the screen as Ferris' friend Cameron spoke.

"_I am not going to sit on my ass as the events that affect me unfold to determine the course of my life. I'm going to take a stand. I'm going to defend it. Right or wrong, I'm going to defend it."_

Stella nodded to herself. She would not turn into a monster.

* * *

**So there is chapter eleven! A little bit of a fact filler in the beginning but it was much needed for the story to progress (and for the sequel. I mean wait whaaat? ;] ).**

**The ending is something I wanted to do from the beginning. Very Teen Titans-esque, although they are DCverse. But hey, it was my favorite show. Stella is loosely based on Starfire's alien-like curiosity. I love Avengers family bonding time! Expect more of that aaaaand for things to get a little heated and dramatic in the coming chapters. Uh oh!**

**As always, your reviews keep me going. I love them all to pieces and I am SO happy that ya'll are enjoying the story. It's a blast to write and I am so grateful for all of your lovely responses :] They truly make my day! Stay tuned for chapter twelve!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Marvel or the Avengers _or_ the Kyle XY concept I'm still borrowing for Stella's sleeping habits.

* * *

"Up! Up! Now over! Yes! _Shoot!_ Duck! Block -no, hit him! Right in the target! 'Atta girl!"

Steve gave Tony a sideways glance as he stood with crossed arms and watched as the billionaire coached from behind the glass window. The super soldier ran his tongue over his top teeth before nodding his head and smirking.

"You know she can't hear you, right?"

"Can it, Geezer," Tony shushed him. "She's gotta beat her time from last week. I know she can do -_Duck!_ No! Gah, she rolled too soon."

Steve chuckled to himself, "She's doing fine."

"Oh, she's marvelous," Tony nodded without taking his eyes off the course in front of him. "I am well aware of that. I taught her english, remember?"

Steve rolled his eyes, "You did not."

"I did too and everybody knows it."

Natasha walked up to them then, effectively stopping the beginnings of an argument, "How's she doing?"

"Good," Steve said at the same time Tony screamed out, "_Shoot!_"

The assassin smiled to herself, "It's like watching a dad at his kid's soccer game."

Steve laughed at that, "Indeed it is, Agent Romanov."

All three watched from the observation room as Stella ran through the obstacle course that Tony had designed for Avengers group training exercises. Fury wanted to see how well Stella could fare on her own and the team had been mercilessly drilling her for two weeks. They were getting her ready. For what, Tony couldn't exactly say. But if Fury wanted her prepared for an end of the world battle, then so be it. Not like they hadn't had one of those before or anything...

For weeks she had been working on controlling her abilities. She didn't want to hurt anybody she cared about _ever_ again. Natasha taught her how to be stealthy, which came in handy for sneaking up on Tony, as Hawkeye had instructed her to do multiple times. Hand to hand combat and fighting came with that, too. Thor and Steve had taught her inner balance, both Avengers being well versed in the instability of the Cube. Tony was the go to man for aiming and harnessing power in certain parts of the body. Although he was a master mechanic and a genius physicist, he tried his best not to treat her like another Iron Man suit. Bruce monitored her the entire way. He took her vitals to make sure she knew her limits and ran multiple tests on her blood to try to understand _how_ she was even created. It was all physically exhausting and to top it all off, she was _still_ trying to understand how to be human.

Stella dodged bullets, fired pulsars from her hands, went toe to toe with armed robots, and did a myriad of ducking, leaping, and flying through the air. She was tired and sweat was pouring down the back of her neck. Steady breaths helped to control her breathing as she panted her way through the final leg of the course.

Hawkeye had run through the course just before she had and he had done well. A stray arrow caught her attention as another robot appeared, armed and ready to attack. With impressive agility, thanks to Natasha's training, she flew through the air and rolled behind a tree, plucking the arrow out of its trunk. The robot advanced and she walked back a few feet. She tried to remember the move that Natasha had showed her just days before and, with a bout of confidence, Stella ran full force towards the tree. Her feet collided with the bark as she ran up it and grabbed a branch, swinging her entire body down and nailing the robot in the face. She landed a little ungracefully as the automaton began to get up. Just as the robot had managed to get to its feet Stella gave it a swift upper cut to the chin and drove the arrow right through until it sparked out of the top of its head.

Quickly, she sprinted the rest of the way to the end of the course and slammed her hand on the large red button that stopped the timer. Her legs gave way and she fell against the wall but a smile graced her lips. She breathed heavily and used her forearm to push back her mountain of curly hair from her forehead before looking up at her three friends. She gave them a huge smile and saw Tony give her two thumbs up.

Steve turned to Natasha, "She learn those moves from you?"

The agent smiled to herself, "Yes she did."

"It's like watching a mom at her kid's soccer game, isn't it?" Tony smirked and clapped Steve on the back before jogging down the steps to the door that would lead him out to the course. Steve watched as the genius walked up to Stella with his arms in the air.

"You did it, kiddo! Beat your record from last week by four seconds. I'm impressed, truly, I am. Although you couldn't have done it without me."

Stella smiled over at him, "I could not have done many things without you."

Tony, not one for sentimental moments, chose to say, "Well you'd be naked a lot more. That's for sure."

Stella blushed and looked at her feet. Tony groaned and slung an arm around her shoulders, "You've been hanging with Banner too much. His awkwardness is rubbing off on you, doll."

They reached the observation room and Steve smiled at Stella, "Good job out there today. You're really coming along well."

Natasha nodded, "Nice execution of that move at the end."

Stella gave a small smile, "I did not land as well as you."

Natasha shrugged, "It got the job done."

"Alright, enough assassin talk. Let's eat. I'm starving. Anybody else hungry?"

After a long day of training, eating, _attempting_ to learn how to cook ("Babe, I don't think you should _ever_ be allowed in a kitchen again," said Tony as pasta sauce stuck all over his hair.), and more training, Stella was ready for a long sleep. The concept of sleep still baffled her. She was just supposed to..._shut off_ and slip into darkness until her body, or that awful device that Steve calls an 'alarm clock', wakes her up the next day? She did not think she liked the body's way of functioning. It was very odd.

The other thing that she did not like were the movies that her mind played her while she slept. They were not fun and lighthearted like the ones she and Thor liked to watch; so far, House Bunny was both her and the God of Thunder's favorite. Such whimsical antics... But no, they were more like the terrible horror films Natasha watched that Stella had the misfortune of accidentally walking in on. Natasha had apologized profusely as the pink haired woman stood stunned with wide, fearful eyes. Stella's head movies were almost exactly like those.

She trudged up the sleek staircase and walked the catwalk to her room. Tony had insisted that she be in her own room now and Natasha, although reluctant, did agree that she liked having her tub be _just_ a tub and not someone else's bed. The first night had been hard. Stella had not been able to get comfortable in her new bed and the room had seemed impossibly dark. Steve promised he would help her paint it whatever color she liked later on but for now it was a deep, S.H.I.E.L.D standard dark blue. Thor had to bust down the door when he had heard her sobbing from the bathroom (his room was right next to hers, Steve on the other side) because he couldn't figure out the damned technology locks that Tony had installed. The Avengers all agreed that Stella did not like beds so, she was given a beautiful claw foot tub to sleep in. Clint thought it was bizarre but then again his room was like a nest, so who was he to judge?

Steve was just entering his own room when Stella walked down the catwalk. She smiled at him and waved, causing him to chuckle and wave back.

"Goodnight, Stella."

"Goodnight to you as well, Steve!"

As soon as she entered her room she sighed. Yes, as _soon_ as possible she would find out about changing the color of her walls. For the time being, she went through her adapted nightly routine -the one she saw Natasha doing, sans the checking of the guns- and crawled into bed, _err_, bathtub. The smooth, high walls felt protective around her as she snuggled up to her comforter. Thor had instructed her to count the leaps of Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjòstr as they jumped over a fence. She had had _no_ idea what he meant until he had clarified that they were his two magical goats from Asgard. After the seventieth leap her eyes shut and her head movies began to start.

_Stella was being wheeled down a long, brightly lit hallway. Her arms and feet were shackled to the gurney she was on top of and her neck was latched onto the morgue style headrest. Everything hurt. Her arms ached, her stomach burned, her ears were ringing, and she could feel the blood pounding behind her eyes. A shadow of a face blocked the light and the same man from her first head movie in the S.H.I.E.L.D. medbay came into view._

"_Hey there, shhhh," the man cooed. "It's alright, Stella. You're going to be-" his words hitched in his throat, "No one is going to hurt you."_

_He averted his eyes and wiped them on his sleeve. It took her a minute before she realized the gurney had stopped moving. The man smoothed out her hair and bit his lip._

"_So far, you are my greatest creation. I can't-" his words were choked again, "You are not the monster they think you are. I just can't...my career. My reputation. You don't...you don't have to understand. In fact, I don't think you even _know_ English. But...I'm so sorry, Stella. For everything."_

_Another voice sounded from down the hallway. It wasn't English, Stella now knew that after being around the language so much at the Tower. It was vaguely familiar though, like she had heard snippets of it before._

"_What's he saying?" The man from before still had a hand tangled in her hair. He was trying to be comforting and it was working a little. Stella still had no idea where she was or what was going on but in this new movie she was more awake _inside_ the action. Her newly learned knowledge was helpful in understanding these head movies._

"_He's saying that they are ready for her," another voice called over in English._

"_Alright," the comforting man said. "Just...just give me a minute, okay?"_

_Stella's vision was beaming in and out from the pain. All of the sounds around her and the voices and the lights, the glare of the halls, the faces pressed against the windows, beeping, screeching, stabbing, jolting, burning, searing, STOP!_

_The man looked up as a silver spark shot up and burst the lightbulb of the overhead light. He tried to suppress a smile but failed miserably._

"_You are amazing, Stella," he told her. "One day you will do great things. If I ever have a child...I'd want him or her to meet you. Hopefully one day...I hope you find your way back."_

_Stella whimpered as the wheels of the gurney started spinning again and the walls started disappearing behind her._

"_This is your home," he told her. "I made you here and...you belong _here_. I'm so sorry I have to...send you away."_

"_Bring her over here," someone else said with a heavy accent. "Lift her-" Stella felt herself being lifted up, "-onto the, yes, right there. Strap her there, and there...and here, here...over there. Okay, now shut the door."_

_She couldn't see anything going on above her as she was slid into a huge cylindrical container. The walls were all a see-through red color but all she could make out were hundreds of wires and cords, tubes and pipes._

"_Wait!" She heard the first man shout out and the door was wrenched open again. She felt a hand on her own as he pressed something inside of her palm. "Here. To...remember me by. I will never forget you. I think I might live with this guilt for the rest of my life, actually. You're a star, Stella, but you don't have to stay up there with them, do you hear me? You find your way back. You...come back. Please. Goodbye, Stella."_

_The next few moments of her life whizzed by her. There was a loud roar, several seconds of shaking, a deafening burst from way below, and then her ears popped. She had only a few seconds to glance down at the little charm in her hand, the same symbol she had carved into the infirmary floor, before her eyes rolled into the back of her head._

_The next time she awoke she was in a cold, damp place. Something hovered over her - something so un-human and indescribable that she would never be able to tell anybody what she had seen. It wasn't of any species she had ever seen (although she had seen very few), but she didn't know _what_ it was. It didn't look like a living organism. For all she knew it could have been an appliance. _That_ was how inexplicable this creature was. It looked down on her, or so she thought because she couldn't tell its eyes from its rear, and made horrible sounds at her. Another one popped into view and both creatures tilted to the side as if they were examining her._

_Stella felt something slimy on her hand and felt the charm being pulled away from her palm. She tried to grasp for it but it was nowhere to be found; the creatures had moved it away. The one that had first appeared before her held up a large blue cube in the weirdest hand she had ever seen and the second creature lifted a scalpel into her line of sight. The light from the cube blinded her as the scalpel pierced her stomach and her vision went black again._

Stella woke up screaming on her bedroom floor with bloodied, silver hands and tears streaming down her face. She heard the override codes being inputted into her door and Tony and Bruce ran in -Tony half asleep and Bruce looking like he still hadn't caught a wink. Bruce immediately dropped to the floor and grabbed Stella's face in between his hands.

"Stella? Stell? STELLA?" He lightly smacked her cheeks and shook her head forward and back.

"B-Bruce?" Her eyes focused in on him and she began to shake.

"It's me. It's me, it's okay. You're alright. Nobody is going to hurt you."

Her eyebrows furrowed. So many people had been telling her that...

"Uh...Banner? You might want to check out your surroundings..." Tony trailed off, still slightly stunned as he looked around the room again.

Bruce's head lifted up and his hands went limp, falling off of Stella's cheeks and hitting her chest before hanging at his side. He was too shocked to blush but he probably would later on. On all four walls, from the bottom to as far up as Stella could reach, was the same symbol she had carved into the infirmary floor: one short line extending up and another longer one connecting and drawn to the left. They were all written in silver -Stella's blood. The mirror on her vanity was broken into a thousand tiny pieces, silver drops leading away from it and towards the closest wall. Stella looked around too and her hands started to shake. No one said anything for a few moments until Tony swallowed and settled his eyes on the cowering pink haired woman.

"That's seven years of bad luck, Supernova."

* * *

**So sorry for the delay! I don't even know how it happened. Summer holiday, I suppose. Anyway, this chapter is PACKED with tiny hints at things in this story: the symbol, the mystery man, some sequel stuff (the weird creatures :3 SO excited for them...but we must finish this story first!). Any guesses? Hehehe.**

**Again, I LOVE all of your reviews. I am in AWE of how many this story has gotten. They really keep me going -and the fact that I'm a tad addicted to Stella. Oops. But honestly, thank you all so so much for all of your support. I can't even begin to express my gratitude. Stay tuned for chapter thirteen!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Marvel. Stella and the plot are mine.

* * *

"They're called dreams."

Stella stared down into the brown abyss of the tea Natasha had just handed her. The assassin's words and Bruce's worried stare hardly registered in her mind as she watched the steam swirl around the top of her mug. Her hands were warm as they pressed against the ceramic and as she breathed in deeply, she felt more at ease. Then flashes of what she had seen in her head movies, or _dreams_ as Natasha had just told her, would churn her stomach and she would feel sick all over again.

She took another deep breathe, "I do not understand."

"That makes two of us," Tony said from his spot. He was leaning against the counter with his arms folded over his chest. Stella caught the look of concern he flashed her before he stared down at his feet, deep in thought again.

After Bruce and Tony had rushed into Stella's room, Tony took the liberty of frantically waking everybody up by screaming into their intercoms. Hawkeye had not appreciated that in the least, but now as the archer looked at the fragile, terrified pink haired woman in front of him, waking up at three in the morning seemed trivial.

Bruce had not left her side throughout the entire ordeal. Something in her eyes made him not want to leave. She was beyond frightened, _beyond_ terrified, and Bruce could sense it. If her eyes hadn't been what made him stay close then it had been her hands. Covered in her strange silver blood and trembling, the walls behind her bathed eerily in silver symbols, her hands would be an image that Bruce would never forget. Even after Steve had rushed in and nearly knocked the good doctor down, he made it a point to never be too far away from her.

Stella had tried the best that she could to relay what had happened in her "head movie" to the team. Her limited English made it hard for her to find the words to describe what she had seen, but Tony translated most of the charade-like gestures into coherent words. Steve's jaw had clenched when she mentioned the part at the end where the _things_ had held a scalpel to her stomach and plunged. He was all too keen on the pain of physical enhancement, although he had _had_ the will to endure the procedure. Stella hadn't consented at all.

"Do you know what that symbol is?" Bruce asked gently. He rubbed his chin, "I know I've seen it before."

"Me too," Tony nodded. "I just can't place it and it's bugging the hell out of me."

Stella shook her head, pink curls tumbling down and partially covering her face, "I do not remember. It was on the wall of the room from my other head movie- _dream_- and it was on the...thing that the man gave me."

"The thing?" Natasha asked. "What thing?"

Stella made a frustrated noise as she motioned her hands around, so Tony pushed himself off the counter and walked over, "Act it out, Supernova." She made several motions before he understood, "Necklace. No, no, bracelet. Ohhh, it was a charm on a chain. KEYCHAIN!"

Hawkeye widened his eyes and jerked his head back. He had started to nod off but Tony's loud exclamation had jolted him awake.

"Who was the man?" Natasha's voice was comforting and gentle, a small reassuring smile on her lips.

"I do not know," Stella admitted, squirming in her seat uncomfortably. "I think he made me. He apologized over and over."

Everyone looked to Bruce and he rubbed his eyes tiredly, "There's no record of who made her. Believe me, I've read the files a dozen times."

Thor had been unusually quiet. His hand was at his beard and his face was deep in thought, brow creased and lips pursed. He looked over at Stella before he spoke.

"Was it these strange creatures who gave you the power of the Tesseract?" He questioned.

"Uhmm..."

"She doesn't know," Bruce said. "I think we should...Stella's tired."

The pink haired woman kept her gaze on her tea, tears threatening to spill over onto her cheeks at any moment, "I am scared. I do not know who I am or _what_ I am. The man from my head- _dreams_, he told me that I was human. Steve tells me that I am human. But Fury tells me I am not human. The Molecule Man tells me I am more like him than I am like you. Who am I to believe?"

One tear leaked out before Bruce reached out and touched her shoulder on impulse. Tony ignored it for once but later he would give his friend hell for it. For now the billionaire had to control his heart from wrenching at the sight of this woman he had grown so fond of. The shrapnel would probably kill him if that happened...

Steve forcefully pulled out a chair and sat down, "Believe your _friends_, Stell. Believe _us_. You _are_ human. Do not let anybody tell you any differently. You're not like Molecule Man or those..._whatever_ that experimented on you. You're a good person, a good _human_ being. Okay?"

Stella sniffed once but said nothing. Her tea was no longer steaming but she found comfort in the warm ceramic that pressed against her palms. Carefully, she got up from the table with both hands still wrapped around her mug. Her eyes never met any of her friends' as she stood, try as they might to meet her gaze. With her elbows in and her hands holding the mug close to her chin, she looked like a small, scared child. Her eyebrows furrowed and a few tears fell down her cheeks.

"I would like to be alone," she said feebly, her voice wavering with emotion.

They all watched her walk across to the giant metal staircase that led to the wrap around catwalk. No one said anything for a long while after her door had closed. Bruce wondered how she would be able to sleep after what had just happened. He wondered how _he_ would be able to sleep.

"I do not like to see her so sad," Thor said after a while, his deep voice breaking the silence. "It pains me to see such a creature weep. She reminds me of the Light Elves of Alfheim."

"Those symbols," Tony shook his head, trying to rid his mind of the image of the slew of silver blood markings he had seen drawn all over, "I _know_ I've seen them before."

"What do they mean?" Natasha asked. "Sigils? Gang signs? Alien language?"

"I don't think Stella knows 'alien', Natasha," Bruce said softly.

Steve rubbed his eyes tiredly, "We need to do something."

Clint had kept his head bowed in thought for most of the conversation. His head popped up as a thought came to him. He smiled at the rest of the team.

"I think I know how to cheer her up."

* * *

Bruce didn't go to sleep after the others had decided to catch a few more hours of shuteye. How could he? He kept thinking back to the look of fear on Stella's face, the silver blood staining her hands, staining the walls. How could he ever possibly _begin_ to try and sleep after that? Instead, he made coffee and settled down on the couch with a thick book: physics.

A small crash sounded not twenty minutes later. As if on instinct, he rushed up to Stella's room and entered the override codes he may or may not have lifted off of Stark's security system. Whatever, he had wanted to make sure that if Stella ever needed anybody _he_ could be that somebody. _Stupid_, he thought to himself. _Not even a cute line at all_.

The doors swooshed open and he saw Stella on her hands and knees trying to scrub off the bloodied symbols. She didn't notice, but tears were streaming down her face as she scrubbed and scrubbed, her fingernails starting to throb and her hands starting to become raw and pruned. She had managed to clear off the symbols from one wall and she was working on the second. Bruce noticed her alarm clock had fallen off of her nightstand. That was what had made the crash.

As Bruce entered the room fully, Stella stopped scrubbing. She turned her big, silver eyes on him and took in his appearance. His small smile, disheveled hair, sleep shirt that looked like it had been through Hell and back, sweatpants equally as ratty. His hands were doing their signature wringing out as he surveyed the room nervously. He was always so nervous, so shy. Stella had seen a character like him in a movie once, but he had had scissors for hands...

"You, uh, you lied, didn't you?" His voice was always so calming to her.

When she said nothing and only gripped the sponge tighter, he continued, "You didn't really want to be alone."

She shook her head as more tears fell and the sponge dropped back in the bucket she had somehow gotten her hands on. Water sloshed up the sides.

"I...I never want to be alone."

Bruce walked over cautiously, his lips producing the nervous smile Stella had seen so many times before. He knelt down next to her, reached into the bucket, and pulled out a sponge. She gave him a confused look but grabbed another sponge from the bucket anyway. He gave her a fuller smile - a gentle, calming smile.

"You never will be."

They worked silently for the rest of the night removing the bloody sigils from the walls.

* * *

Thor was having quite a merry time. Midgardians sure knew how to entertain themselves. And these wonderful, sugar dusted batter piles? _Delicious_. Volstagg would _love_ this place.

Yes, Thor decided, he quite liked these parks of amusement.

Coney Island was swarming with people. Kids ran around, marveling at the rides and numerous booths of games of chance. The smell of funnel cake was in the air and the sounds of chattering and joyful screams filtered about. Everyone was having a great time.

Clint, who was totally in his element, looked over at Stella as she tried to take everything in. She was holding a giant stuffed bear in both of her arms and was gripping a stick of cotton candy in one hand. Earlier, Natasha had won the stuffed animal in a water gun game (the vendor being slightly afraid of her accuracy) and had given the prize to Stella who had cheered her on the entire time. Steve had made her try cotton candy, which was a mistake because the pink haired woman fell in love with the sugary spindle and was now on her third stick.

"Having fun?" Clint nudged her in the shoulder. A wave of nostalgia and a slight pang of pain hit him as he watched acrobats flying in the distance.

Stella looked over at him, a wide smile on her face, "Yes! This place is wonderful. Thank you, Clint."

"Anytime," the archer shrugged.

Tony walked hand in hand with Pepper. He had complained the entire ride over that he didn't want to go to some 'disease riddled underbelly where people kept handing him things' but he was secretly glad Clint had forced them all into going. Tony wouldn't admit it out loud, but he liked team bonding. He liked the sense of family. And, of course, he liked spending time with Pepper. Although she had become enthralled with Stella the moment the two met and was sort of ignoring him. Typical.

"What sort of contraption is _that_?" Thor pointed to the giant ferris wheel that loomed in the distance.

"It's a ferris wheel," Pepper told the god with a smile. She looked to her boyfriend and grinned, "Care to take a ride?"

Tony raised his eyebrows, "Is there a hidden agenda in that sentence?"

"Come find out," she said with a wink as she trotted over to the ride. Tony grinned and raced after her, grabbing her around the waist and spinning her as they continued forward towards the giant wheel.

Stella hugged her bear tighter. "They are truly adorable," she said wistfully.

"In a 'makes you want to vomit' sort of way," Clint said.

"This place has changed so much," Steve remarked with sadness. Coney Island was never this grand when he was growing up.

"It went through a lot of demolitions and changes," Bruce said. "Some things are still here though. Like the ferris wheel and the _Cyclone_."

Steve pointed to the _Parachute Jump_, "They finally closed that down?"

Bruce nodded, "In the sixties, I think."

"Good," the captain nodded. "That ride was dangerous."

"Something tells me you thought a lot of rides were dangerous."

Steve shot Bruce a sideways glance, "Pretty much all of them. I could tell you all of the places I've thrown up."

Stella craned her neck to see to the top of the _Wonder Wheel_, "May we ride this?"

"I say that we shall!" Thor bounded towards the ride and Stella ran after him. Bruce laughed along with the others.

"I guess they both love amusement parks," Natasha said softly. "They are like children."

"Well they're both pretty foreign to Earth," Steve replied. "I'm a little amazed myself." The others all gave him looks, "Okay, okay, I'm _a lot_ amazed. Look at all of the things they've put in! It feels like just yesterday that the New York World's Fair was here and I saw a hovering car."

"Yeah, that never really took off," Bruce said. Then he chuckled at his pun.

"It didn't at the time either." Steve had a small smile on his face as he remembered Howard Stark's grand entrance to the fair with the women and the dancing and the singing. He looked at Tony who was heckling Pepper like always and Steve could see Howard. Tony was a lot like his father had been.

The Avengers all waited in line to ride the giant ferris wheel. A few kids spotted them and asked for their autographs and pictures, but other than that the day had been hassle free, which Steve was thankful for. He hadn't been to Coney Island _literally_ in years. He wanted his first time back to be relaxing if not a little bittersweet.

"You are sad," Stella said to him in line. Her big pink curls were visible over the giant bear as her silver eyes peeked out from over its shoulder. "We are at a park of amusement, yes? You should be happy."

Steve gave her a genuine smile. Her naivety always touched him. "I used to come here a long time ago. It reminds me of a few things that make me sad."

She gripped her bear tighter as they advanced in line, "Like what?"

Steve shifted in his spot and a pained smile crossed his face, "My best friend Bucky. He...he died. In the war. He used to make me come here with him all the time."

Stella felt horrible for bringing up the loss of his friend so she held her bear out to him, "Would you like to hold him? He is quite comforting."

Steve laughed and took the bear from her. It wasn't as big in his arms as it was against Stella's tiny little body. "Thanks, Stell. I feel better already."

She beamed at him and held up her bag of cotton candy, "You should have some of this disappearing sugar cotton too!"

"Maybe later," he told her. "I don't want to push my limits on these rides here."

Stella shrugged and munched on the fluffy pink candy as she waited in line. Tony and Pepper paired up in the first cart, followed by Clint and Natasha who were in a heated discussion about what _really_ happened in Budapest. Steve had begun regaling Thor about what Coney Island used to be like"back in the day" so they both climbed into a cart. Stella looked to Bruce and then looked down at her feet. Bruce did the same, awkwardly teetering on his heels.

The next cart came up and both of them got in. Bruce silently pulled down the lap bar and tried not to think about how their legs were touching. Damn these small carts. The ride jerked into motion and Stella let out a squeal as the wheel started to ascend over the park.

"I forgot that I do not like heights," she said as she squeezed closer to Bruce.

Bruce felt his heart beat faster. _Uh oh_, he thought. _It would probably be the worst thing _ever_ to Hulk out right now, Banner. Get it together._

"I think this ride is safer than Tony's flying," he said softly, a slight chuckle following.

Stella looked over and smiled, unaware of the social protocol for how far away faces should be from one another, "Are you certain?"

Bruce's eyes widened as her nose was a mere three inches from his. He swallowed and nodded, "I'm sure."

Her silver eyes became serious all of a sudden, "Thank you, Bruce."

"For...?"

She shrugged and bit her lip. The water reflected behind her and the breeze blew the scent of her hair towards Bruce's face. Rain. She smelled like rain. _Please don't Hulk out..._He knew he had better control over Hulk but he hadn't felt..._things_ for a woman for quite some time. He didn't know for certain what would happen.

Her eyes met his, "For everything. I am so lost in this world but you have all been there for me. I may not be human, but I still have a family."

Bruce smiled at her words. The movies that she and Thor liked to watch had helped her understand things so much better. It was funny how someone from another planet showed her how to better understand this one.

"You're welcome."

Stella smiled and looked to her hands gripped around the lap bar. Slowly, she took her index finger and touched Bruce's. Her finger trailed down his until her fingers were spread out over the top of his hand. He didn't dare move a muscle. He barely even breathed.

"When you were green and big," she said quietly, "you knew who I was?"

The ferris wheel dropped down and started to bring them to the top again.

"Yes," Bruce said just as quiet, his eyes not quite meeting hers. "He knew who you were."

"And he likes me?" Her eyes were wide with curiosity but her voice was filled with anticipation. Bruce was taken aback. She wanted Hulk to like her?

"I think he does, Stella. I think he does like you."

She traced the veins on the top of his hand, "Does he like you?"

The ferris wheel stopped them at the top. The entire park was spread out below them.

"I, um," she kept tracing his hand and it made it very hard to concentrate, "I don't know."

Her brows furrowed, "Does he hurt you?"

Bruce thought of when he tried to end his life, "Well, I tried to hurt him."

Stella's brow creased even further as she kept tracing the raised skin on his hand, "What did he do?"

Bruce drew in a shaky breath and put his other hand over top of hers, stopping her ministrations. He thought about her question, the feel of her hand underneath his slightly distracting. He had never thought about the incident with much depth before. He didn't see the other side that he was seeing now. His words caught in his throat before he gently squeezed her hand. The answer had finally dawned on him.

"He saved me."

Stella sat back in her seat, as if she had been on edge for the entire conversation. Her hand was still warm under his. "Then," she said with finality, "I like him."

Bruce let out a long breath and almost laughed. He couldn't believe that such innocent questions had led him to realize this huge revelation about himself. He didn't even know if Stella realized what the position their hands were in meant. She must have seen hand holding in a movie, she_ must_ have. Somehow, though, Bruce knew that she had wanted to decide if Hulk was good or evil. The look on her face when she asked if Hulk had ever hurt Bruce...she _cared_ about him. She cared about Bruce. _Bruce_. The awkward gamma-radiated scientist.

Bruce leaned back in the seat as well, his shoulder pressing up against Stella's. He looked out to the pier, the people below seeming so small, like ants. A little laugh of disbelief escaped his mouth and he shook his head. He looked over to Stella and their eyes met.

"I like him too."

For four short seconds, Bruce banner was _finally_ content with his life.

Then the ferris wheel gave a horrifying lurch as the sound of bolts coming loose from their moorings hit their ears.

* * *

**Don't hate me! **

**I'm so sorry this took over a week to get out. I was on vacation and then I scrapped the chapter twice before this idea came to me. I thought I wasn't going to like it, but I am quite pleased with how it turned out. **

**Again, thank you SO much for all of your continued support and reviews. Your reviews make me smile and really keep me going. They're amazing, truly. **

**Stay tuned! The next chapter will be out quicker than this one was!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Marvel, just Stella and the plot.

* * *

Bruce's moment of bliss was ruined when the ferris wheel came loose and started to wobble. It teetered left and right as the bolts that fastened it to the loading dock popped off. They didn't just pop off, actually - they _disintegrated_. The entire wheel was about to be free rolling throughout the entire pier. _Not good, not good, not good at all,_ Bruce thought.

He and Stella shared a look of fear and she gripped his hand harder. For a moment, a feeling of peace washed over him before he realized that the ferris wheel was about to _roll away_. A scream sounded from in front of them and Bruce and Stella both carefully leaned forward to see what was happening.

"Pepper! Jesus chr-_ what's_ going on?" Tony yelled out as he firmly held onto Pepper's hand. His girlfriend was now hanging off of the bottom of the cart after having slid down from the force of the lurch. The billionaire managed to pull her up but the ferris wheel bucked forward and sent them hurtling towards the lap bar, which of course opened. The two barely had time to grab onto their seats before the bar flew open and left them exposed to falling completely out of the cart.

"Tony? Are you guys okay?" A few carts closer to Bruce and Stella, Steve yelled down to Tony and Pepper.

"Why would you even _ask_ that question? We are _not_ okay!"

"Look! The Molecule Man is down there!" Thor leaned forward to point and caused the cart he and Steve were in to nearly tip into a front flip.

"Woah, woah, _woah!_" Steve called out, trying to keep his lunch down. "Stay in your seat!"

The other patrons on the ride were screaming out in fear while the workers down below frantically ran around with wrenches and power drills. The young kid operating the ride was wildly pushing buttons but the console had been fried, the wires inside short circuited and dissolved.

Natasha took in deep breaths and looked down. Sure enough, a man with an electric green suit and horrible lightning bolt scars was staring up at them, hands in his pockets, smiling like a fool. He cocked his head backwards before turning around slightly. Natasha's eyes followed his gaze to the _Cyclone. _With a flick of his wrists the track at the bottom of the steep drop dissolved leaving a giant gap in its place. Natasha looked to the top of the hill and saw the roller coaster car slowly climbing to the summit. Her heart dropped into her stomach.

"Thor!" She screamed out, leaning down to try and look at the god in the cart below her. "The _Cyclone_! You need to stop that cart!"

Thor looked around, "I do not see a storm!"

"No!" Natasha slapped her forehead, "The wooden railroad maze over there!"

Thor snapped his head over to said 'wooden railroad maze' and needed no further instructions. He flew towards the roller coaster via hammer and left Steve holding on for dear life as the cart rocked forward and backward. The impact of Thor's departure, however, did not leave the remaining Avengers in stable shape.

"We need to get these people off of here!" Steve yelled as the last bolt disappeared, Molecule Man smiling maniacally, and the wheel began to roll backwards.

"The only person who can fly just _flew_ _away_, Captain Genius," Tony called up.

The _Wonder Wheel_ began to roll away from its station and everyone on the ride started screaming. Stella watched the people in the carts closest to the ground dive off, sustaining only minor injuries. The wheels in her head started turning at the same time as the _Wonder Wheel_ began to pick up speed.

"Bruce," she said quietly while still looking over the back of the cart. "Perhaps we should jump out when we reach the ground."

A low growl came from beside her and she turned her head to see Bruce clutching his own. His hands fisted the tufts of hair by his temples as he grit his teeth together. He was squeezing his eyes shut and lightly rocking forward and backward, breaths coming in and out quickly.

Stella slowly sat down and placed a timid hand on his shoulder, "Bruce?"

His eyes flew open and a mixture of brown and green stared back into her silver orbs, "St...ella...I c-ca...n't- _aarrrgghhhh!_"

He writhed in pain and slammed against the side of the cart. The entire cart shook as the individual bolts started dissolving as well. An empty cart from down below fell and crashed to the ground. The _Wonder Wheel_ ran over it and lost balance as it rolled backwards. The ferris wheel started to tip over on its side and Stella let out a scream before flipping over the side of the cart.

"No! SteeEEELLAAAAA!" Bruce's voice boomed out as his skin ripped and morphed into the Hulk. He grew too heavy for the cart and reached up to grab one of the poles just as the bolts gave way and the cart dropped to the ground. Hulk looked down to see Stella gripped onto one of the outer poles. The wheel had stopped moving backwards but it was now tipped to its left, the bottom of the ride sinking into the sand. Hulk had to think fast. He liked Stella. Hulk couldn't let her get hurt.

He grunted and noticed the blonde captain man, the man who normally had the pointy-shooty sticks, and the flexible woman all expertly jumping down the ride and using the poles as guides. The bearded man and his lady friend were in the process of rolling off onto the ground. The bearded man shielded the woman as they dropped onto the sand and when they landed he brushed the sand out of her hair and cupped her face, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs.

Hulk mimicked the other three and started to drop down to the bottom on the wheel but as he made his descent the wheel began to fall faster. The few people still on the ride screamed louder and Hulk saw Stella's legs fly out to the side as she desperately tried to hold onto the pole. Her arms were hugged around it, a steady stream of silver leaking from her temple. Hulk saw the blood and was enraged even further. With a swift swing he threw himself off the ferris wheel and landed hard on the sand below. The wheel creaked and the sound of metal bending reached his ears as he ran further away. Hulk stopped running and looked up, watching where the wheel would fall. He reached his arms up and caught the top of the ride just as it was about to smash into the sand, his heels digging down into the ground.

Captain America ran up and started barking out orders, "Hawkeye, you help me get these people off this ride. Black Widow, see if Thor is alright and try to track down Molecule Man. Tony...can you get a suit?"

"Can I get a suit, now that's just a silly question." Tony tapped the bracelets fastened around his wrists, "Of course I can."

Pepper slapped the side of his head, "Why didn't you do that earlier?"

"I was kind of preoccupied with a beloved childhood ride turning into a spinning wheel of death, in case you didn't notice."

"Um!" A squeaky voice sounded from above, "I do not like heights! It would be wonderful to come down now!"

They all looked over to see Stella on the far arch of the ride and still holding on. Her feet dangled in the air as she struggled to stay on. Even though she would most definitely not be harmed if she fell (she _did_ fall from the sky) and she wasn't that high, she was still terrified. Hulk let the ride drop fully onto the sand, the remaining people falling into piles in their carts, and raced over to where Stella hung. He climbed up and over the poles until he was standing above her.

"Hello," she said meekly followed by a whimper.

Hulk's heart contracted at the sound she made. He reached out and gently scooped her up with one hand before unceremoniously throwing himself onto the sand. He held her to his chest as they landed and although it wasn't as high as Tony and Pepper had fallen, Hulk thought he had done a pretty good job.

Stella propped herself up on his chest, wide eyed and amazed. Hulk lifted his big head and his chin bumped Stella's nose. He sat up a little and she folded her legs under herself on his chest, placing a tiny finger on his chin. With as much gentleness as he could muster, Hulk reached up and stroked Stella's cheeks with his thumbs the way the bearded man had done. His green skin stood out against her pale cheeks and the size of his thumbs nearly covered her entire face as they moved, but her eyes closed and she smiled which was enough to make Hulk happy. He huffed out a sigh of relief and sat up fully, not anticipating that the motion would make Stella tumble backwards and into his lap.

"Oops," Hulk mumbled to himself before gathering her in his hands once more. He set her down on the sand upright and patted her head. "Sorry."

Stella looked up at him with wonder and gratitude filling her eyes. She held a hand out to him and Hulk hesitated for a second before extending his pointer finger. She wrapped her tiny fingers around it and pulled him up and over to where the other Avengers were gathered. Steve and Clint had helped the people off the ride and Natasha, Tony, and Pepper had disappeared back towards the pier to assist Thor and, in Pepper's case, probably get the hell off Coney Island.

The captain smiled at Stella. "You two alright?"

Stella nodded but frowned, "Molecule Man tried to hurt us."

"Yeah," Steve said. "Now we have to stop him. This ends today."

Stella nodded affirmatively as they began to run back towards the attractions. She stopped when she didn't hear the thundering footsteps of the Hulk behind her. Turning around, Stella saw him leaning down and picking something up from the ground. He bounded over to her and handed her the teddy bear that she had let Steve hold. She took it from him and gave him a big smile.

"Thank you." She hugged the bear tightly.

Without warning, Hulk scooped her up into his arms again and started running after the rest of the team.

They barely made it to the pier before a mass of gold and red flew backwards at them. Steve dodged to the right just in time before Iron Man crash landed in a heap by Hulk's feet. Hulk's eyes widened and he poked the glowing arc reactor on Tony's suit before preparing to roar.

"No, no! Easy, big guy," Tony popped up his helmet. "I'm all good here."

Hulk backed away and stood by Stella. Tony lifted his head up and smirked, "That's cute. It's like Maggie and the Ferocious Beast. I'm sorry I know of that show," he mumbled the last part to himself.

"What's happening over there?" Steve asked. He craned his neck to see the entire park.

"Well, you know, the usual," Tony licked his lips and nodded his head from left to right before giving Steve a sarcastic look, "cosmic criminal ruining every bit of fun left in this world. Also there's a lot of stuff on fire," an explosions sounded from one of the ring toss booths, "and explosions."

"Wonderful," Clint said as he went to pull an arrow out of his quiver. Upon noticing that he was dressed in civilian clothes, he cursed under his breath. No, not wonderful, _fabulous._

"This does not seem wonderful," Stella whispered to the Hulk. He looked down at her and shrugged his shoulders. Hulk didn't think explosions or fire were wonderful either.

Steve grabbed a trash can lid and inspected it. He wasn't prepared for battle at all but not holding his shield and fighting didn't seem right to him. Plus, he'd used trash can lids for years before his Vibranium shield. What the heck, it would have to do.

"What's the plan, Cap?" Tony asked as he bounced a little on his feet. After _almost_ safely getting Pepper out of the park ("Tony, I _hate_ flying with you!"), Tony felt a little better about the upcoming fight. At least she would be out of harm's way. But, you know, he'd be directly _in front _ of harm's way. No big.

"Tony, I'm gonna need you to help Thor get the rest of these civilians out of the park. You two are the only ones who can fly and Molecule Man seems to be attacking a lot of the rides. Clint, is there any way you can get some arrows or something?"

Clint eyed a dart game just across the way, "I think I can scrounge something up."

"Good, we're gonna need you. Rendezvous with Natasha and see what you guys can find. Stella, Hulk," Steve pointed at himself, "We're going after Molecule Man."

* * *

**This was shorter than my other chapters but I actually had to break one chapter into this one and the next one. It was reeeeally long. I hope this chapter wasn't too much of a bust! Confrontation coming up next!**

**In light of La Bella Figura landing safely, I'm going to post chapter fifteen right after this :] Yay!**

**Reviews are love and you all know how much I love love loveeee everything you have to say! I'm so happy everyone is liking the story! Stay tuned!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Marvel, just Stella and the plot.

* * *

The team broke up and Stella followed Steve as he ran towards the middle of the pier. Hulk wasn't too far behind. The place they had last seen Molecule Man at was empty - strangely empty. The people had been evacuated, all of them screaming off somewhere in the distance as Tony and Thor rounded them up. But _other_ things were missing. There were no booths, no concession stands, no rides. The carousel Steve remembered being there was completely gone.

"This doesn't feel right," Steve mumbled.

"It shouldn't."

Before Steve could raise his trash can lid shield in defense, it vanished, the molecules dissolving. He was quickly thrown out of the way thanks to a forcefield blast. Stella watched him topple over himself. The fallen captain quickly got to his feet as Owen stepped out onto the empty pier. His green suit was barely wrinkled.

He held his arms out, "This is what I can do. Obliterate cities, _destroy_ cities. There won't even be any wreckage to pick up because it will just be _gone_."

"Why do you hate the world so much?" Steve was buying time while he tried to think of a plan of action.

Owen chuckled dryly, "The world never liked me. Why should I like it? There is nothing here but foolish longing and hopeless believers."

"So you want to destroy everything?" _Come on, Steve. Think, think, think!_

Owen lifted his hand and the _Cyclone_ toppled behind them. The wood gave way, the rails broke, the ride collapsed in on itself. Just as the pieces hit the ground, they vanished. All that remained was an empty lot where the beloved ride once stood.

"Does that answer your question?" Molecule Man asked lowly.

Steve watched Owen's hands shake. The captain's eyes shot up to Owen's face and he watched a flicker of doubt flash across the marred features. It was gone nearly as fast as it had appeared, but it had been there.

"You can't do it," Steve said in amazement.

Owen narrowed his eyes, "Can't do _what_, Captain?"

"Destroy everything," Steve almost laughed. "You can't dissolve _everything_."

Owen roared out in anger, "And why the hell not?"

Steve gave him a look of sympathy and told him quietly, "Because then you'll have nothing left. And you know it."

Owen blinked. He had not considered that before, actually. Maybe he shouldn't destroy _everything_...just..._most _of it. Enough to make the rest of the world feel the emptiness he felt. Enough to make them _see_.

Molecule Man turned away from Steve. He was done with that conversation. His eyes locked onto Stella and he smiled evilly.

"I'm surprised you're still with this bunch," he told her.

Stella stepped forward, Hulk keeping an eye on her, "They are my friends."

"But are they _really_?"

Without hesitating Stella bit back, "Yes."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Owen chided. "So naive. No wonder they can keep you around. Your blind faith in the Avengers is endearing, really. But you need to start asking questions - the _right_ questions."

Stella clenched and unclenched her fists, looking around nervously, "What?"

The Hulk let out a low growl. "Don't like you," he said to Molecule Man.

"Why did you lure us here?" Steve demanded. He eyed Hawkeye and Natasha creeping up behind Owen, darts from the balloon pop booth in hand.

"_Lure_ you here? Pfft, you were all merely an added bonus. I just wanted to see what I could do to these pathetic excuses for human beings. You know, get my name out there."

"Oh, trust us, your name has _been_ out there," a voice called. "And I'm actually getting sick of hearing it."

Tony dove in from the side and blasted Owen with a barrage of energy pulsars before tackling him into the ground. Thor slammed down onto the pier and sent Mjolnir hurtling into Molecule Man's chest before he could get up. Natasha and Clint lunged forward and expertly pegged the darts into his arms, chest, and legs. If his suit had been pristine before, it certainly wasn't now. Hulk roared out once as Molecule Man attempted to stand and the force sent him right back down to the ground.

The villain began laughing, a trickle of blood dripping from his nostril, "Nice try."

He flared out his fingers and sent all of the Avengers flying backwards. Stella felt splinters of wood pierce her back but seconds later felt the pain disappear. The wood shards popped out of her skin and clinked like toothpicks onto the boardwalk. She was first to get up.

"I don't like you!" She screamed out as she shot three bolts of cosmic star energy out. They each nailed Owen right in the chest. He landed with an 'oof!' and stayed down. Stella didn't let up. She continued to throw bolts of light at him until a steady blue light arched around the fallen villain. Her assault stopped and Stella stood there with her hands at her side, panting heavily.

She heard Owen laughing before she saw him. The dust and debris from her attack still hung in the air.

"This guy sure does laugh a lot," Natasha remarked as she pulled Clint up off the ground.

"With a face like that he's got _nothing_ to laugh about," Tony joked. No one said anything back. "Oh, _come on_! 'Stay With Me'? Rod Stewart? No?"

"No," Steve shook his head.

"Well of course _you_ wouldn't know it, Grandpa."

Molecule Man walked out from the wall of smoke, "You can't fight fire with fire, little star." He held up a small sphere of forcefield in his hands. A blue streak pulsed across it as he twirled it around. "See?"

"The Tesseract," Thor gritted out.

Tony crossed his arms and stated, "That's it. We're getting one. As soon as we beat his ass, we're _getting_ our own Cubes."

"You can't beat me, Avengers," Owen told them. He nodded his head at Stella, "But she's got a shot."

Stella powered up her hands, her eyes glowing silver.

"But she won't win."

Stella shot a blast at Owen and he fell backwards, still laughing.

"She won't because I'm the only person she knows who hasn't lied to her."

Stella lowered her arms slightly. Her eyes stopped glowing and her silvery grey irises came back. She looked to the team, specifically at Tony, "What?"

"He doesn't mean that, Supernova. What has he done for you? Nothing. _We_ raised you! I taught you english and...and..._everything_!"

"He's tricking you, Stella," Thor told her. "Just like last time."

"I'm not tricking you," Owen said. His voice almost sounded as if he was pleading with her. As if he wanted _one_ person in this world to be on his side, to help fill the void left by his mother's death. At least, that's what it sounded like to Natasha.

"They are my friends," Stella said with a little less confidence. How could she be sure? She knew _nobody_ else. Fury had snatched her up right after she landed on Tony's car. What if they _were_ the bad guys and _they_ were tricking her? What was she to believe? She barely even knew who she was and Fury was making it his top priority to keep it that way.

She gasped out a little bit at the force of her thoughts, "You are my friends, yes?"

"Yes! Do not believe the man of molecules!" Thor boomed out. "Please. _Please_ do not believe him." No. No this was not happening to Thor again. By Odin's beard he would _not_ lose another!

"Supernova," Tony said gently. "We're...we're your _family_." Tony couldn't believe he had said it, but he did. They _were_ a family, damnit. And he'd sooner dress up as an amish woman and churn butter for the president before he let some stupid evil Harry Potter wannabe tear his family apart.

Stella felt something nudge her from behind. Hulk looked down at her and pointed at his heart, indicating Bruce was in there.

"Family," he told her.

"This is sweet and all," Owen said snidely, "but if I were you, Stella, I'd wonder why Tony Stark of all people has taken a liking to you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tony called out, offended.

Owen shrugged, "Isn't it odd that you feel so protective of him? Don't you find it a _little_ coincidental that you landed on _his_ car? Ever wonder what you'd look like with your hair up, Stella?"

Stella lowered her hands, now completely confused with the situation.

"No?" Molecule Man shrugged, "Hmm, oh well. It's been great, Avengers. You know, you all letting me destroy an amusement park and all. But I'm no longer amused and neither is this place, so I'll be going. You should think about reinforcing some of those bridges, though. They're getting old, don't you think?" He looked at Stella, "Think about it, _Supernova_. Think long and hard about who you should trust."

Just like that, Molecule Man vanished again.

"Damnit!" Clint cursed. "He sucks, man."

"I do not believe that this ended today, Steve," Stella said quietly. "You lied."

Steve opened and closed his mouth like a fish before being able to form a response, "Stell, no, I...I didn't mean- _Gah_. I'm not lying to you! He's just messing with your head!"

Hulk stepped forward at Steve's raised voice and shielded Stella.

Thor held his arms out, "Easy, green beast. We mean Stella no harm. She is our friend."

Hulk looked down at the Asgardian with disdain. He remembered fighting with him on the hellicarrier and then punching him out in Grand Central Station. This blonde warrior did not sit well with Hulk. He was annoying.

Thor stepped back. "I believe that he is not fond of me," he whispered to Clint.

"I believe that we _sucked_ at kicking ass today," Clint grumbled.

Natasha gave him a sideways glance, "How could we have won, Clint? We can't even _scratch_ him."

"Oh, I'll scratch him alright," the archer said lowly to himself.

"Let's just," Steve sighed, "Let's just go home."

"Home," Stella whimpered. "Who am I?" Her voice cracked and she fell onto the boardwalk, sobbing into her hands. Hulk leaned down and patted her back awkwardly. Hulk didn't want pretty Stella to cry but Hulk didn't know what to do.

Tires screeching to a halt made Stella peek through her fingers to see what was going on. Four S.H.I.E.L.D issued SUVs pulled up to the destroyed amusement park and Nick Fury climbed out of the foremost vehicle. Agent Hill got out of the passenger side and several agents came up to flank her and the director.

"What the hell happened here?" He demanded, his eye boring into each Avenger.

Tony opened his mouth but Fury held up a hand, "Stark if I even hear you _cough_ I will have you locked up so fast that poor old Jarvis is gonna think that you don't love him anymore. Understood?"

Tony shut his mouth involuntarily. Jarvis would never think that...

Steve stepped up, "What haven't you been telling us about Stella?"

"Captain, I asked what happened _here_ not in Stella's identity crisis world."

"Hey, now," Clint cut in. "Director, that's a little harsh, sir."

"I agree," Agent Hill said strongly. Clint and Natasha raised their eyebrows.

"Agent Hill I didn't bring you along so you could undermine me."

"I'm not undermining you, sir. I just think you have been too harsh on Stella."

"She is a damned weapon! Stella," he looked at her sitting on the ground with tears streaming down her face, "you were created for one purpose and one purpose only: to _destroy_. You understand why we can't let you go, don't you? You're _dangerous_. Remember what you did to Captain Rogers?"

She whimpered and nodded.

"Human beings don't do that." He turned to Steve, "Now, I'm going to ask you again. What happened _here_?"

Steve relayed the entire conflict with Molecule Man in a monotone voice. His eyes were level and he tried not to lash out and punch Fury square in the jaw. That wouldn't be professional. A soldier wouldn't do that to his superior.

"Hm," Fury said in a tone that gave away the fact that he somehow knew they would fail. "So he's got a thing for bridges. Agent Hill, get me tighter security on all bridges surrounding Manhattan. I want cameras, facial recognition, seismic monitors, everything."

"Yes, sir," Agent Hill walked away, barking orders into her walkie-talkie.

"Avengers," he turned to leave but gave them a glance over his shoulder, "debriefing room in thirty minutes."

"What did he mean, 'ever wonder what you'd look like with your hair up'?" Clint wondered.

Fury heard his agent's words and stopped moving. He closed his eyes tightly. He should have _known_ this would happen.

"No!" He tried to stop Natasha but she had already moved forward to brush the hair off the back of Stella's neck. "Stop it!"

Too late. Natasha's eyes widened and Clint's jaw went slack, dropping open as he looked over at Tony. Tony, Steve, and Thor all came up behind the pink haired woman.

"What is it?" She screeched. "What?"

Tony looked at her neck and his heart skipped a beat. Bile rose in his throat and his entire body went numb. Never before had he been so surprised and devastated. It felt like someone had just thrown ice cold water over him. He blinked and was even _more_ surprised to find that his eyes burned. Was he crying? My god, he was going to _cry_.

"I...I knew I've seen that symbol before." His voice was choked and he shook his head. He was honestly terrified of the familiar symbol that looked back at him.

There on Stella's neck was the symbol she had drawn, etched into her skin like the trademark stamp on a Barbie Doll. A deep branded line ran straight up and then a connecting line ran off to the left. Inside the two bars were the words that Stella could never make out in her dreams because they had been obscured from her vision. Once they had been covered in blood and the other time the charm had been too far away to see, her eyes too blurry because of the pain. Tony felt his heart literally sink as the words glared back at him.

**Stark Industries**.

* * *

**...that happened.**

**Gold Stars to everyone who guessed correctly! Doesn't the symbol look super familiar now? Hehe. I'm so evil, I know. And man, Fury is a meanie, but I would be too if the balance on the entire universe and crazy maniacs rested on my shoulders. I do not envy that one eyed man.**

**So that's your double update, folks! Like it? Hate it? Should I pack up and move into an underground bunker? Stay tuned for more :]**

**As always, your reviews make my heart swell and the chapters come out faster. I love them so dearly. Really, I do. You're ALL amazing. 3**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Marvel. Stella and the plot are mine.

* * *

Owen just about collapsed when he entered the old abandoned factory he had been squatting in. He'd set up a little makeshift living area in the small employees lounge that had seen far better days. No one had been in the factory for years and it was noticeable. If the horrible decay on the outside brickwork didn't indicate its wear and tear, then the awful, un-lived-in, musty smell that permeated the entire building was a dead giveaway. And speaking of dead, Owen was pretty sure a raccoon or something had up and died somewhere in the rafters.

The sounds at night were even worse. Old, rusty chains rattled and creaked together. The entire foundation seemed to moan and whine at the weight it was carrying, as if it was ready to give up at any moment. Machines that hadn't been powered up in years gave off low thrums of sound from time to time which thoroughly spooked Owen. He'd been a momma's boy his entire life, of course he was still afraid of the dark. His environment didn't help at all.

He barely made it to the plaid couch that also turned into a less than satisfying pullout bed before his legs gave way. As his body dropped onto the unforgiving springs, dust flew up all around him. After weeks of sleeping on the hard coils he had thought the dust would go away. It appeared that wasn't the case. Apparently the couch was _made_ of dust, or so it seemed.

"_Phoooooo_," he let out a low, uncontrolled breath as he raked his fingers through his hair. Little splinters of wood fell out as he shook the roots. They reminded him of what happened earlier and why, exactly, he was so exhausted, no, fatigued, _no!...enfeebled_. Yes. Enfeebled.

How much longer could he keep this up before he himself deteriorated? He honestly felt like _his_ molecules were about to burst into a million different directions. Actually, that wouldn't be half bad. At least then he could rest. At least then he could _stop_.

Why couldn't he stop? Was this what his mother had wanted? He gripped his hair harder. Of course not. _OF COURSE NOT!_ What the _hell_ had he been thinking? Not much, apparently. _NOT. MUCH._

"_Ahhhhhhhhhggggggg!_" He yelled out and swept his arm across the chestnut nightstand that was propped up with a thick volume chemistry book to keep it level. All of the things he had been keeping there clattered to the floor. Something shattered, but he didn't care. He was so _fucked_.

There was honestly nothing he could do now. He _had_ to keep going. Somehow he had to make his revenge plan seem as smart as it did all those weeks ago. He thought about it for a second. Nope. God damnit, _nope_. It didn't seem smart. Not at all. Not one bit. What was his endgame? What _revenge _did he want from this? What did he want for his _mother_ from this? What the _fuck_ was he going to do? _WHAT WAS HE GOING TO DO?_ Take New York City? The world? The _universe_? Then what? _THEN WHAT?_

Owen was breathing so hard that he thought he might hyperventilate. His thoughts were swirling and things were snapping and overlapping inside his head so fast and so hard that he thought he was deep frying from the inside out. All of the guilt, all of the doubt, the lies, the sadness, anguish, pain, death, power- _HELP. HELP ME. HELP ME. HELP ME._

"HELP ME!" He screamed up to the ceiling. "HELP ME! SOMEBODY! HELP!" His voice dropped to a cracked whimper, "Help me. Please."

He wasn't a bad guy. But he wasn't a sane guy. Didn't that sort of mean he _had_ to be a bad guy? Insane people became criminals, didn't they? He didn't want to be a criminal. Owen was just tired of being a nobody. He was tired of being invisible. He was smart, damnit, _smart_! Why didn't anybody notice that? Only his mother noticed that.

His mind flicked past a million blurred events and back to the moment when the pink haired woman, Stella or whatever, had shown him compassion. She had looked so heartbroken when he had told her that everybody in the world was alone. It was as if she had seen right through his words and had uncovered the true meaning. _He_ was alone. And she hadn't wanted to hurt him. She had only wanted to pretty much destroy him after he had all but blown up her precious Avengers - her _family_.

And they had all rallied behind her.

Why didn't anybody rally behind him? How could some strange, pink haired alien woman possess such allure that everybody around her wanted to stay around her? Wanted to care for her? Owen couldn't see that ever happening to him, try as he may. It wasn't fair. Stella wasn't even human. Owen was. Owen was human! All human!

He threw himself backwards onto the plaid cushions that smelled like mothballs and motor grease. Dust flew up all around him and he coughed and sputtered, his lungs burning with chemicals that God only knew. The chains rattled from out on the factory floor and Owen shut his eyes. He could dissolve them, but then they would be just a few more things that Owen didn't have. He was already grasping at straws as it was.

"Mom," he whispered. "What do I do?"

Not even a whisper sounded from the factory. He was completely alone. His stare hardened and his jaw set. So that was how it was going to be, huh? HUH? Nobody was out there to _fucking_ help Owen but all Stella has to do is bat her eyelashes and everybody flocks to her. _FUCK. THAT_.

"Mom," he said again with grit in his voice. "You're going to be so proud of your son."

Maybe it was the Cube. Maybe it was the medley of chemicals he had been in contact with. _Maybe_ the loneliness had finally broken him. Maybe it was all three. But either way, two things were certain.

Owen Reece was certifiably mad.

Owen Reece was going to do something very, _very_, terrible.

* * *

The black SUV was completely silent as it cruised down the road back towards Stark Tower. Nobody spoke, nobody moved. Clint had made the mistake of picking at his nail after the first five minutes. The sound was so loud in the silence of the car that instead of a tiny flick, it sounded like a grenade had gone off. He had quickly covered his entire hand and committed to staring out the window. _No more moving, Clint. Not even for an itch. Shit..._

Tony sat in the passenger seat. He had verbally abused the agent who had been sitting there until the poor fellow had relinquished his claim on the seat to Tony. The philanthropist sat down without anymore words after dissembling his suit. He held the surprisingly light suit jet-pack to his chest. He was in no mood for jokes or his usual cockiness, no mood at all.

He closed his eyes as he remembered the horrible brand he had seen on the back of Stella's neck. She wore his companies logo as a scar. It was a mark that represented all of the horrible pain and suffering she had endured. And what's worse is that she had undergone it all because of his company, _his_ name. Normally he loved seeing his surname anywhere. He usually got a rush from the power and he ate up the attention with a spoon. But now he was disgusted. He physically couldn't bear to look at the name any longer after Natasha had first shown him.

Stella's face. Tony squeezed his eyes shut tighter. Her face. Her face, her face, _her face_. He couldn't get it out of his head.

"_What is it?" Stella screeched again. "What is on me?"_

_Tony stepped back, trying desperately to hold back the bile that had risen in his throat._

"_Friend Stark," Thor said quietly -quieter than Tony had ever heard the god speak, "that is your family name that Stella bears on her neck."_

"_Tony?" Steve's voice was just as quiet. "Did you...did you know about this?"_

_Tony turned to the captain, his eyes filled with intense anger. Steve took a step back. He had never seen the creator of Iron Man so enraged before. There was no trace of a joke in his eyes, no smile threatening to creep onto his lips._

_Tony got in Steve's face and was still quite intimidating even though he was much shorter. His words were clipped and laced with venom, "No. Never. How could you even _think_ I would have been aware of this? Don't _ever_ look at me like that again."_

_Steve didn't know that he had looked at Tony in a certain _way_ but apparently he had. The genius was fuming, his fists clenching and unclenching. He also looked like he was about to upchuck his funnel cake._

"_Tony?" The innocence in her voice made his stomach give a lurch. The guilt that he didn't even have to feel was about to strangle him. _

"_Tony what is on me?" Her voice was so quiet. Why did it have to be so quiet?_

_He turned around to face her, his suit clanking against the boardwalk. The face that had grown on him after all of these weeks was staring at him expectantly, like he was her hero. She looked up to him. He had always been there for her. It broke his heart to know that all that he stood for, his company, was the reason she was alive. He was the reason she was so lost in this world._

_Without saying a word, Tony flipped a switch on his suit and produced a small missile from a compartment on top of his forearm. He held it out to her and she took it in her tiny fingers._

"_Is that the symbol from your dreams?" His voice was gravelly and filled with defeat. Tony Stark screws up again. Classic._

_Stella's face lost all of its color. She had been unbelievably pale before but now she was just plain ghostly. Her eyes widened and her fingers trembled. Tony watched as the memories became clearer behind her eyes. The stormy grey swirled inside of her silver orbs as pieces started clicking together._

"_Yes," she whispered. She looked up at him, "Tony."_

_The face that she made next would scar him forever. Her mouth dropped open just slightly, her bottom lip giving the slightest quiver. Her shoulders sagged. Her eyebrows arched up into the most devastating inclines and her eyes looked at Tony with such blinding pain inside of them that he felt like someone had run him through with a spear. It wasn't in Tony's nature to be emotional, but for some reason he still felt the need to cry. She looked like a child who had just witnessed the death of a loved one._

_The water that welled up beneath her lids had started to silently fall down her cheeks and all of the Avengers watched as Stella's entire world shattered around her. The man that she thought had saved her and had taught her to be human...his company was what made her what she is. She felt betrayed. He couldn't have known but she still felt wronged. She kept blinking, trying to make sense of the situation. How could she trust them now?_

_Who in the world _was _she?_

_She handed the missile back to Tony and treated his touch like a burning, searing iron poker. The billionaire drew his iron clad hand back and grimaced. She hated him and for some reason he cared about that. He never cared about who liked him before (except for Pep) but he cared now._

_Natasha stepped up, giving Tony a rare, apologetic face. She ducked her head to meet Stella's downcast eyes, "Would you like to go home?"_

_Stella snapped her eyes up, an usually angry glare inside of them. "I don't have one," she said in a steely yet quiet voice._

_Thor's heart constricted at her words. They reminded him of what Loki had said atop the mountain after he had flown him off of the quinjet. He had said "I don't have it," meaning the Tesseract, but Thor was almost certain that his brother had meant he didn't have a home. _

_The god stepped up to the pink haired woman and tried to block her path as she began walking away from the group._

"_Friend Stella, please. I beg that you-"_

_Stella reached out her hands and sent a blast of stellar light hurtling at the god of thunder. He quickly held his hammer up and blocked her blow. Mjolnir absorbed the energy, star against star, but the force still sent him back a few feet. He staggered in his Midgardian shoes but stayed his ground._

_No one else tried to stop Stella as she ran down the boardwalk._

Steve's voice from the backseat grated on Tony's nerves, "Why didn't anyone try to stop her?"

Agent Hill spoke from the driver's seat. Fury had been too pissed to ride with any of the Avengers. "How could we have stopped someone who is that dangerous?"

Tony's nostrils flared at the word 'dangerous' and Maria shook her head, "Mr. Stark, I didn't mean it in a bad way."

"That's the only way there is," he mumbled to himself.

"Where is Banner?" Thor leaned up from the back most row of seats, his head in between Steve's and Natasha's.

Tony couldn't even muster up an eye roll at where his good friend the doctor would be. He simply continued to stare out the window, hugging his jet-pack closer to his chest. For the first time, the suit didn't make him feel like a hero. He felt like a fraud.

"She doesn't hate you," Natasha said quietly. The assassin was never one for comfort, but seeing Tony in such a mood was not as rewarding as she would have earlier thought it to be.

Tony sighed. "I would."

* * *

**This was a short one, I know, but I had to break apart one chapter into two again. The next one will be up on Friday. I'm going to the shore tomorrow so i won't be able to update but Chapter Seventeen is written already.**

**Also, sorry this wasn't up sooner. America and I share a birthday week so everything has been quite hectic.**

**The first part of this chapter I was actually really excited to write. I wanted to show how messed up Owen was. He's not a stable guy and I hope you all got that from his little scene. Poor guy :[**

**I didn't proofread this as well as I could have so I apologize for the mistakes! I'll go back and fix any on Friday! Reviews are my favorite things in the world (or comments or whatever the kids are calling them these days!). I love you all and thank you for staying with me and Stella! Mwah! xx**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Marvel. Stella and the plot are mine.

* * *

Stella ran until her lungs felt like they would pop out of her chest. It had been the only thing she had wanted to do after she put the pieces together back at Coney Island. _Run_, her body had commanded. _Run and don't look back._

She finally collapsed in an abandoned lot somewhere in Brooklyn (although she didn't know that was where she was). The lot was overgrown with weeds and tall grasses. They were high enough to completely cover her as she dropped to the ground and drew her knees to her chest. All around her were remnants of past parties that had gone on there. Beer cans, plastic shot glasses, frisbees, deflated soccer balls, clothing, and other typical abandoned lot items were scattered all around her. It wasn't homey at all and Stella found herself missing her bathtub back at Stark Tower.

She squeezed her eyes shut and rocked back and forth. It wasn't fair. Why did the people she thought she could trust turn out to be the people who were keeping the most from her? They were her friends. Tony was her hero. Why would he...? _Why_?

Her mind wandered to the look of surprise on their faces when Natasha had pushed Stella's hair away. Perhaps they had not known. Tony looked about ready to 'hurl', as Stella had heard Clint say many times before. She had later found out that it was a word to describe the expelling of the contents of one's stomach and the look of queasy greenness that accompanies the act.

She whimpered. They had taught her so much. Everything, actually. Surely they were her friends. Surely they were her _family_.

A low grunt sounded from the entrance of the lot and Stella tensed. A sniffing sound followed it and then heavy footsteps came directly after. A huge, looming shadow appeared over top the tall grass and Stella shrank back into the weeds. Then, a huge green face came into her view.

Hulk stared down at her with growing curiosity and a small trace of relief. Hulk had run all over the place trying to find her. The pretty pink haired woman was very fast. Hulk was glad he had found her.

"Safe," he said to her in his deep voice. Stella was instantly reminded that Bruce was in there too. She could hear his voice laced with the bass tones of Hulk's.

The Hulk's eyes rolled back and Stella had to quickly roll out of the way as the huge green beast fell forward and crashed onto the ground. Beer cans and a cloud of dust shot up into the air.

Hulk's body started to contort and shift, the bones cracking and his skin turning flesh colored again. Stella had seen this happen to Bruce on the _Wonder Wheel_. Instead of telling her to run, her body was telling her something completely different. _Stay, Stella._ _Don't leave him._

Stella stayed.

When Bruce came to the first thing he sensed was the smell of stale beer and trash. When his vision cleared he realized that he was, in fact, in an old party lot. _That solves that one._ The other thing he noticed was that he was covered in some sort of fabric. He was pretty sure his shirt had ripped off when he had transformed and his pants _couldn't_ have fared much better. Then what the hell...?

"Bruce?" The sound of her voice made his heart beat faster.

He groaned and held a hand to his forehead, "Stella?"

"Bruce," she said again. She was right next to him. He could sense it. And then, he could feel it. She delicately traced his cheek with her finger and then poked it to make sure he was alive. All the while she stayed with her knees drawn to her chest. Her posture was much like that of a timid child inspecting a bug on the ground.

He focused his eyes on her and then immediately looked to the ground. A deep red rose to his cheeks. _So that's where the fabric came from..._

"You didn't have to cover me with _your_ clothes, you know," he said shyly to the naked woman next to him.

She stared at him blankly and then said, "I did not?"

He let out a chuckle, "No, you didn't."

She pointed at him, "But you are also unclothed."

Bruce's eyes widened and he peeked under the barely-covering-him clothes. With lightning fast speed he quickly sat up and shoved Stella's clothes down to his _area_ in a vain attempt to cover himself. _She had seen...oh, boy._ How much worse could this really get? Did she even _know_ what that was? Good Lord...

They were both completely naked and facing each other. Their _places_ were covered up by some lucky chance. Stella had tear tracks down her cheeks and Bruce was sure he looked a mess. Her chin sat atop her knees as she stared into Bruce's warm eyes. Her arms held tightly around her legs as his loosely enveloped his crossed ones.

"So, Stark Industries, huh?" He started lamely.

Stella's eyes looked down, "The man from my dreams looked like Tony."

"It was probably Howard. That was Tony's father."

Stella played with her thumbs, "He told told me he would want me to meet his child one day."

"And you did," Bruce gave a small smile. He had remembered the entire scene back at Coney Island. It was as if Hulk and he had been looking through the same lens.

"I did," she whispered and nodded to herself.

She thought about the man from her dreams. He had been so kind to her. He had told her how wonderful she was, how _human_ she was. That man believed she would be something great, not something dangerous. Howard Stark had believed she was good.

"_You are amazing, Stella," he told her. "One day you will do great things. If I ever have a child...I'd want him or her to meet you. Hopefully one day...I hope you find your way back."_

"I must go back," she told Bruce while beginning to stand up.

"Wait!" He reached out with one hand and pressed his palm to her knee. The heat that radiated up his arm was unbelievable. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, "We're naked."

Stella thought for a moment, "And that is inappropriate, yes?"

"Yes," Bruce nodded. "Very."

"But in the movies sometimes two people are naked together!" She countered, not really _understanding_ the situation in the movies.

Bruce blinked. He was _not_ explaining sex to Stella. No. No way.

He sighed, "Ask Tony when we get back. He'll have the answer to that."

Stella's lips curled into a small smile, "He always has the answers."

"Do you have your pager?" Bruce asked, trying not to laugh at the image of Tony being so awkward and fatherly.

Stella pointed to the wad of clothes in his lap and Bruce shifted them around until he felt the device clank against his fingers. He pulled it out and typed a message to Agent Hill.

_Old abandoned lot. Have Stella. Bring clothes._

"Agent Hill will track our coordinates," he told her. "You took your shoes off too?"

Stella shrugged, "It seemed like a good idea."

Bruce smiled and shook his head at her innocence.

They fell into silence soon after. Stella continued to stare at Bruce's face while Bruce looked everywhere but at the pink haired woman in front of him. He couldn't get over the fact that they were both naked. _Breathe, Bruce. Keep breathing._

He felt warmth against his side and startled when he saw a mass of pink curls tumble over his shoulder. Stella had crawled over next to him and was pressing into his side, her head resting against his body. Her knees were still at her chest so Bruce couldn't see anything. He was a tad ashamed that he had looked. Only a tad, though.

"Stella?"

"What does falling in love feel like?" She wondered suddenly.

It was a completely innocent question, Bruce knew, but it still made him choke and splutter. He stuttered quietly, opening and closing his mouth several times before widening his eyes and shrugging his shoulders. Stella's head bobbed up and down at his gesture and the smell of rain filtered through his senses.

"Why do you ask?" Bruce asked back quietly. Why he was whispering in the abandoned lot, he did not know.

Stella licked her lips, "In the movies I have frequently heard of love and I have seen two people in it but they never say what it feels like. How do you know you are in love? Or 'falling'? Falling is not fun, though. I do not understand."

"It's a figure of speech."

She '_humphed_', "I do not like those."

Bruce chuckled but otherwise remained quiet. He was too focused on the petite woman leaning against his body -his _naked_ body.

"I think it is warm like a cup of tea," she said after a while. "Comforting and protective, like my bathtub. Hmm," she breathed in, "free and content, too."

Bruce dug his toes into the sand of the lot. He wiggled them and bit his lip. "Why do you think that?"

She sighed, shrugging her shoulders like he had done. The scent of rain shot up at him again as her head bounced against his side.

"It is how I feel right now."

Bruce fidgeted around, his lips forming a tiny, shy smile. With a bought of confidence he placed his head atop Stella's. They stared at the brick wall of the building in front of them as the tall grasses swayed and danced in the wind.

"Me too."

* * *

As soon as Tony entered Stark Tower it was as if his depression had vanished instantly and was replaced by intense, red hot anger. He nearly stomped the entire way up to the debriefing room where he knew, he just _knew_, that eye-patched son of a bitch was waiting.

"What is _wrong_ with you?" Tony demanded as he entered the room. He barely gave the doors time to open as he stalked through. His shoulder actually slammed against one as he walked in but the billionaire didn't seem to notice.

"Mr. Stark, do not speak to me like tha-"

"I will speak to you however I damn well _want_, you giant ass clown! You kept that information from us! I _knew_ that you knew who made Stella. I fucking _knew_ it!"

Natasha came in and folded her arms before stating calmly, "Director Fury, you said that her master file was sent into space with her. Dr. Banner found no records of that going up with her person. You have the file, don't you?"

"Agent Romanov, where do you get the authority to-"

"Stella is my _friend_, sir," Natasha bit back. "And while your actions are admissible in the protection and secrecy of S.H.I.E.L.D agents, it is unacceptable to have done that to Stella. She is not an agent _nor_ from this planet. You deliberately hid who she was from her."

"I thought you didn't have friends, Agent?" Fury said back without any trace of emotion on his face except for one single, raised eyebrow.

Natasha pursed her lips, "Well I do now, then."

Steve sat down and sighed, "Sir, why would you keep that from us?"

"Because you didn't need to know."

"To hell I didn't!" Tony threw his arms out. "My _company_ created her and you didn't think I _needed to know_? Are you insane?"

"Are _you_?" Fury shot back. "Mr. Stark, if I had told you right off the bat that Stella had been made by Stark Industries, would you have treated her like a human being or a machine? Would you all have gotten as close to her as you have? Well? Would you?"

Tony gritted his teeth, "That didn't stop you from telling her she was a freak."

"Aren't we all though, Mr. Stark?"

"Can you stop saying my name," Tony waved his hand around like he was batting a fly. "It's annoying. I feel like I'm in The Matrix." He paused and narrowed his eyes. "Am I?"

Thor cleared his throat before speaking, "Is this document so terrible that we would not want to have been Stella's friend had we known of it's existence?"

"It was not about that," Fury said.

"Then what?" Clint asked. "Enough with your secrets, Director. We're supposed to be a team here."

"That's exactly it," Fury crossed his arms behind his back.

"_What_ is?" Tony asked, exasperated and still pissed off...and still curious about the Matrix thing.

"You're all a team right now," Fury told them. "You wouldn't be if you had seen the file."

"Why?" Steve asked. He thought of Stella and her adorable naivety. What could be so bad about her?

Agent Hill walked in and solemnly brought in the thick, double rubber banded file that she had handed Fury all those weeks ago. She placed it on the table and Tony immediately lunged for it.

The agent's beeper went off and she looked down at it, "Sir, I have coordinates for Stella and Dr. Banner."

Fury nodded, "Go get them."

She nodded and left, casting one last worried glance at the room.

About two minutes into his silent scanning of all the documents, Tony blanched and looked up.

"They never planned on letting Stella live," he said with anger in his voice. "They planned on killing her. Making her explode into a giant..." he closed his eyes and his shoulders sank, "supernova."

Fury nodded and gave them an _actual_ apologetic stare. Steve and Tony shared a brief look. Literally _nothing_ good could _ever_ follow that stare.

"We still do."

* * *

**...I am so very sorry for that ending. It's always darkest before the dawn! And I promise you, the dawn IS coming! (direct Dark Knight quote right there, whuddup!) But seriously, I will hand you all vegetables to throw at me, but just know that things will not always be so grim!**

**Anyway, I love you all and your reviews keep me going! If you like the story enough to alert it or favorite it, why not write me a nice little ditty to make me smile? :D Even though I may have made you all hate me after this ending. I LOVE YOU ALL!**

**Side note: I start a Summer Uni course on Monday so once I see how much this workload will be I will be able to gauge the frequency of future updates! More on that later though. **

**Stay tuned, ya'll! Things will start looking up soon!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Marvel. Just Stella and the plot.

* * *

Tony felt like the air had been knocked out of his lungs. He quickly tapped the arc reactor glowing from underneath his shirt to make sure it was still functioning. Of course it was, he made it, but it wasn't a sin to be overly cautious now was it?

"You want to kill Stella?" Steve asked slowly. "And you think we'll be okay with this?"

"I would hope that y'all wouldn't be," Fury said with a mock confused stare.

"You do not want us to want to kill Stella, then?" Thor asked, moving his finger around in the air for each word as he said his sentence.

"No," Fury sighed, "because I don't want to either."

"Well now I'm completely confused," Clint said. "You _just_ said you wanted to blow her up."

"S.H.I.E.L.D does, Agent Barton," Fury clarified. "_I_ don't."

"Well that's surprising," Tony mumbled. He was still livid and felt as though his pent up rage would explode and, well, cause some serious damage that Stark Industries _may_ not be able to afford to repair. Yeah, he was _that_ angry.

Natasha blinked once before licking her lips and speaking up, "I think you should start from the beginning, sir."

Fury sighed again and motioned for the Avengers to take a seat. Everybody but Tony sat. The genius was still too angry at pretty much everything to be calm for the moment. Fury couldn't blame him anymore than he could blame Stella for running away.

"As you know, Stella was created with one purpose: to be a weapon of mass destruction. She wasn't _supposed_ to turn out to be so..."

"Human?" Steve said with an edge to his voice.

"Yes, Captain. Stella wasn't supposed to be so human. She wasn't supposed to have emotions, or feelings, or thoughts. She was merely supposed to be artificial intelligence that packed a serious punch."

"And by 'punch' you mean a star explosion that has the potential to turn into a black hole and suck the entire planet and possibly the galaxy into a huge black void of nothingness, right?" Clint raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side, mocking Fury.

Fury rubbed his eyes, "Something like that. The Tesseract has been on our radar for as far back as the inception of S.H.I.E.L.D-"

"It has been around for much longer than that. My father told me the history of the war between the Aesir and the Frost Giants in Nor-"

"If ya'll don't stop interrupting me then you will never know what the hell I have to say."

Thor closed his mouth as the rest of the room shifted awkwardly. Fury gritted his teeth and closed his eye. _God, help me. Or whoever the hell is out there now. I don't even have a clue anymore._

"The super soldier serum was created for two reasons. One, obviously to win the war by making better, faster, and stronger human beings. And two, to be a perfect match for the power of the Cube. We knew that if this other worldly force that kept sending these Cubes in had that much power, it was only a matter of time before they invaded. We wanted to be ready for the worst. We wanted to be prepared to _do_ the worst."

"Like destroy the planet," Tony nodded. "Makes sense. Aliens come in and invade and we give up and suck everyone into a black hole. No more humans, no more aliens. Gee, _why_ didn't _I_ think of that? Oh, that's right. Because I'm not a dumbass."

Fury ignored Tony. "If there was no way to defeat these powerful beings, wiping them out and not allowing them to invade anywhere else seemed like the best idea."

"Until, I'm guessing, somebody brought up the fact that _all_ of the alien race might not come in and invade, right?" Natasha leaned forward as she stared at her boss.

Fury nodded, "That someone was Howard Stark."

Tony huffed and rolled his eyes. "Good old dad," he said sarcastically. He was still pissed off that his father would participate in the growth of another human being and then equip her with stellar powers and _then_ send her out into space to be alien test meat.

"He tried countless times to stop Operation: Starlight but nobody would listen to him. S.H.I.E.L.D threatened to ruin his name and his company if he didn't comply with our demands. He decided if he couldn't back out, he would lead it. Your father had no choice, Tony."

"There's always a choice," the billionaire said sourly.

"When Operation: Starlight finally became a success," Fury said slowly, "we realized how dangerous the subject was. S.H.I.E.L.D didn't plan on the subject having emotions. Stella killed five men because she was so frightened and in pain. Your father survived, obviously, and by some miracle, might I add."

"He was nice to her," Steve mumbled. "She protects people who are nice to her."

Tony thought to all the times Stella had protected him. He closed his eyes briefly. There was no way he would let her turn into a giant starburst. It was _his_ turn to do some protecting.

"But now she's back," Clint said. "And S.H.I.E.L.D knows it."

Fury nodded, "The Council wants to go through with the original plans made for Stella. They want her to be treated as a weapon and disposed of as quickly as possible."

"But there is no threat against Earth right now," Thor said. "Besides the Man of Molecules," he added.

"And he's not terrible enough to destroy the planet over, right?" Steve asked. His tone indicated that he was actually worried that the answer would be _yes_, Owen _was_ dangerous and terrible enough. Steve didn't want to die just yet. Or wherever you went after being sucked into a black hole...

"No," Fury shook his head, "he's not. Well, not _that _dangerous_. _The Council wants to locate the source of the Cube. The _real_ source."

"Not Odin's treasure room," Thor surmised.

Fury nodded, "The planet and the race that keeps sending them in."

"That sounds pretty much impossible," Tony said. "In case you haven't noticed -and you probably haven't _or_ are just not telling us something since you guys just _love_ doing that- we don't know a damn thing about space other than the fact that now Pluto isn't a planet. By the way, who gave Pluto a vote in that? That wasn't very fair."

"I agree," Clint said. "It should totally still be a planet."

"Right on, Link."

"Does The Council want to use her as bait?" Natasha brought the conversation back to the topic at hand.

Fury shrugged, "As of yet I have no idea what they plan to do with her."

"Well it can't be good," Clint said.

"No," Fury shook his head, "it can't. That's why I personally took Stella in after you called me, Mr. Stark."

"But you hate her," Tony said without emotion. "You've made it very clear that she _isn't_ human and _isn't_ welcome here."

Natasha narrowed her eyes as she studied Fury's reaction. His good eye twitched in _just_ the slightest manner and the vein in his neck tensed in _just_ the right way to indicate to Natasha something very revealing about the Director.

"You don't want to get close to her," she stated, mildly awed.

Fury didn't try to deny the Black Widow's findings, "The last time I got close to a member of S.H.I.E.L.D, gave him my trust, he was killed."

Tony's mind flashed back to the blood splatter on the wall of the wind tunnel in the hellicarrier. Coulson.

"So you do not harbor ill feelings towards Stella," Thor said, trying to make sense of the situation.

Fury shook his head, "She's dangerous but so are the rest of you. And that just wouldn't be fair of me to hate only her, now would it?"

"Aw, that's sweet," Tony said mockingly. It would take him a while to warm back up to Fury. Well, as warm as he had been anyway (which was more like tepid, if you will).

"That's why I kept telling her she wasn't human," Fury rolled his good eye at Tony's childishness. "That's why I kept being so hard on her."

"So she would find out for herself that she is human by proving to you that she is," Natasha nodded. "Risky."

"She took to you Avengers very fast," he looked at all of them. "I could tell she wanted to prove herself to you from the minute I saw her covering you up, Cap."

Steve looked down. Even though he had been unconscious, the fact that a naked woman had been so close to him still made him blush. And then to know it was Stella of all women...it was like accidentally walking in on his sister changing or something. He blushed deeper.

"So what do we do now?" Clint asked.

"Well," a voice sounded from the doorway, "we can start by getting us some proper clothes."

The Avengers and Fury all turned their heads to the doorway and Tony almost laughed out loud. He probably would have if he hadn't been so emotionally conflicted. Clint, however, _did_ laugh.

Bruce and Stella stood in the doorway in S.H.I.E.L.D issued hospital gowns looking like they had just come out of the jungle. Bruce's hair was a mess and Stella's face had dirt and soot in random places from the wind back at the lot. She stood slightly behind Bruce, her fingers firmly wrapped around the fabric of his gown. She peered at everyone from over top his shoulder and gave a rueful smile.

"Hello," she said meekly.

"What have _you_ two been doing?" Tony managed to let out a good natured jab at his friend. He smiled in satisfaction as Bruce blushed. "She was naked again, wasn't she?"

"The Other Guy wanted to make sure she was okay," he replied. Stella gripped the back of his shirt tighter and he tried in vain to suppress a smile.

"We thought as much," Natasha gave him a small, gentle smile.

Bruce rolled his eyes at Tony, "And yeah, Tony. She was naked again."

"I'm not even surprised anymore."

Stella let go of Bruce and slowly walked over to Tony who still hadn't sat down. She looked at him for a brief moment and then threw her arms around his middle. He was thrown off at first and his arms stayed firmly planted at his sides but eventually he warmed into the hug and returned it, his arms easily sliding around her tiny frame. She pulled back and looked at him with her big, doe eyes. A stray twig stuck out of her hair and Tony couldn't help but chuckle at her.

"Hugging people is good," she told him with a small smile, her arms still slightly wrapped around his torso.

Tony's eyes flicked down to her neck and Stella knew he was thinking about the brand, "Do not blame yourself, Tony. If the man from my dreams truly was your father then I am very glad. He told me that if he had a child he would want us to meet." She smiled, "And we have."

"Stella, he made you," Tony squirmed in the semi-hug. "He...the pain."

She shrugged. "If he had not then I would not have met all of you. And this has been wonderful," she said with finality in her voice. "I believe that the pain of being alone in this world would be worse."

She pulled away from Tony and looked at everyone else, "You are all my friends and I trust you. The man from my dreams told me that even though I am a star that I did not have to stay up there with them. I believe that being here with all of you is much better." She gave a watery smile, "This is my home."

She turned to Fury and eyed him up, "And even though I am not human, I _do_ belong here. So you may suck it."

Tony busted out laughing as Fury's eye widened. Clint and Natasha bit their lips to keep from laughing and Bruce let out a surprised chuckle. Steve, of course, was very confused on the lingo. What was he sucking? Stella immediately turned to Tony.

"Did I say it right?" She asked him.

Tony reached out and slung an arm around her shoulder, "Yes you did, Kiddo. Yes you did."

Fury rolled his eye and shook his head, "We'll talk more tomorrow. Stella," he looked at her, "welcome back."

She beamed at him as he left before turning back to Tony. Her eyes shifted to Bruce and he nodded his head slightly. Tony looked to him, confused, before looking down at Stella.

"Tony, I am told that you are the one to go to about the story of the birds and the bees."

Tony blanched as everyone started laughing.

* * *

**This is so short. I'm sorry. I also apologize for the wait. My summer session is demanding. I'm taking Intensive Ancient Greek (three language levels packed into six weeks) because I'm a classics major and I want to bulk up my resume, and it's draining me so badly. But I will prevail!**

**The next installment will be longer to make up for this short one. The information here was important, though. The next one will also be a nice reprieve from the drama and heartbreak I've been putting you all through. Movie nights and fluff anyone? And don't worry, we're not finished with everyone talking out the fact that Stella was made by Tony's dad. This may have seemed rushed, but there's more conversations to come.**

**Again, thank you all so much for your continued support. I love it and absolutely adore all of you and your reviews. You all are the reason I write! Remember to review so I don't swan dive out my window because of my workload :] Stay tuned for chapter nineteen!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Marvel. Stella and the plot are mine.

* * *

The steady beat of Agent Maria Hill's boots resounded around the hallway as she walked towards Fury's office. He hadn't paged her to come down, but she was taking the initiative. She had questions and it was about time she got some answers. The confident '_rap, rap, rap,' _of her knuckles against the steel door echoed down the hall. When the door hissed open, Maria saw Fury planted behind his desk, stacks of files to his left and right. The man did _not_ like computers.

"Agent Hill," he greeted her without looking up. "I don't remember asking you to come down here."

"You didn't, sir," she replied. She placed her hands behind her back and walked up to the front of his desk.

He lifted his eye to meet her gaze, "Then why are you here?"

"Sir, I've worked for you for a number of years now and I've never questioned your integrity."

Fury set his pen down. "So are you now, Agent Hill?"

"Not yet," she told him. "I want to know if what you told the Avengers is true."

"And why is that any of your concern?"

She took a deep breath and felt the tension build up in her shoulders. "Because if it was a lie then my resignation will be on your desk before the end of the day."

Fury leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "You're quitting on me, Agent Hill?"

"Director Fury, don't get me wrong, working under you has been a privilege more than a punishment but I will not stand behind you if you intend to let that woman die."

Fury rolled his head side to side to relieve the kinks in his neck. He should have known. Stella found a way to charm everyone. In his mind he was smiling. That whimsical, pink haired star.

"You can rest assured, then, that I have no intention of letting Stella die."

"And what are you going to do about The Council?" Her shoulders had significantly relaxed at his reassurance.

"I'll deal with them when the time comes," Fury told her. "I've dealt with them before."

"Leaving the room in the middle of an argument doesn't fall under 'dealing' with them, sir."

Fury's lips lifted into a smirk, "For me it does."

Maria gave a small smile and turned to leave. She stopped in her tracks and turned back to her boss.

"She wants to impress you, you know."

"She already has, Agent Hill. In more ways than one."

Agent Hill started to leave again when Fury's voice stopped her, "Agent Hill."

She turned to him.

"I said I had no intention of letting her die." He gave her a long stare. "That doesn't mean that she won't."

Maria left his office with her head bowed. She was afraid he'd say that.

* * *

Stella was sitting on the couch nursing a freshly brewed, steaming cup of tea. She was freshly showered and in a clean S.H.I.E.L.D T-shirt and some things that Natasha called yoga pants. She still didn't know what yoga was even after Clint had long ago corrected her and told her that yo_ga_ was when 'hot chicks bend in different positions' whereas Yo_da _was the small, green guy from Star Wars. Stella liked that movie. Although Thor had told her with certainty that it had _not_ happened.

Natasha sat across the room with her own cup of tea. She was curled up in a plush armchair and reading the schematics for S.H.I.E.L.D's latest...semi-automatic machine gun. Stella pursed her lips and switched her gaze. Natasha was her friend but she sure was terrifying.

Clint was up above on the catwalk, his legs dangling over the side as he watched the room from his high vantage point. He fiddled with an electric arrow, screwdriver in hand. From time to time a spark of electricity would shoot up and Clint would narrowly avoid his eyebrow being singed off. Sometimes he would withdraw his finger quickly when the arrow managed to zap him.

Stella shifted her eyes downward and saw Steve sitting at the kitchen table. He was reading the paper from that day. His gaze was concentrated as he tried to absorb as much information as he could on the current events of the world around him. Stella gave him a small smile although he was not looking up to see it. She felt bad for Steve. He was in a new world he didn't understand. At least Stella had not been somewhere else before crashing down to Earth.

A clanging brought her attention away from Steve and over to the fridge door that was propped open by a boot clad foot. Thor still had not grasped the concept of Midgardian 'lounge' attire and withheld from appearing in his night clothes in front of any of the Avengers. Tony, on the other hand, pranced about in them. Quite proudly, actually.

Thor closed the fridge door with his hip as he balanced a large sandwich on a plate. Ever since coming to Earth as well as having learned of the Midgardian 'deli sandwich' from the Asgardian chefs in the royal kitchens, the god had made it a point to try and create the most amazing sandwich of all. Stella had to admit that his quadruple decker bologna and swiss sandwich _was_ amazing. Even if only she and Thor had the ability to finish the entire thing ("Supernova, I have _no_ idea where you put all of that. Good luck taking that thing out on dates, Brucie. You'll go broke. I'll lend you my card. No need to thank me, I'm just a sucker for charity.").

Speaking of Tony, he had been avoiding Stella all day. Every since she had asked the birds and the bees question, actually. His skin had paled and he had made several excuses as to why he wasn't needed in the general vicinity of _anywhere_ that Stella was. She found that odd since she knew he wanted to say more to her on the subject of his father, but Clint had assured her that Tony was 'collecting' himself. Stella's eyebrows had furrowed at this. He had looked to be all in one piece to her...

A light cough from her right broke her from her memory. She looked over and immediately smiled at the sight of Bruce sitting next to her. His glasses were perched on the bridge of his nose and he was intently studying a book of strange patterns that Stella had briefly seen on the infirmary test screens. He gently tapped his pencil against the pages in a rhythmic pattern and Stella found her head bobbing to the made up beat. A myriad of loose-leaf pages were sprawled out to his right and from time to time he would pick one out and scribble something down or scratch something out. Watching Bruce work amazed Stella. Watching Bruce amazed Stella. _Bruce_ amazed Stella.

She leaned over and looked down at the page he was reading. One of his hands held a piece of paper with his handwriting on it while the other continued to tap his pencil. He was comparing his equations to some other type of information, Stella believed. Her mind started to wiz down both pages and suddenly everything made sense in an instant.

"This," she pointed at his page and startled him, "should be a circle thing."

Bruce looked over to his left and felt his breath hitch at the close proximity of her face. The smell of rain washed over him. He didn't think he'd ever get sick of that smell. In order to avoid another hopelessly awkward situation (and let's face it, this is Bruce we're talking about. There are bound to be more), he looked down at where her slender finger was pointing on the page.

"You're right," he mumbled, astonished. "It should be a sigma." He scribbled it in before turning to her. "Stella, how did you know that?"

Her eyes met his and she shrugged, "I do not know. You looked troubled and I looked at your book and read it."

Bruce blinked, "And you understood it?"

"It...how do you say...clicked?"

Bruce blinked again, "Thermodynamics just..._clicked_?"

"That is what this is?" Stella asked.

He nodded, "I'm combining thermodynamics and astrophysics to try to understand how S.H.I.E.L.D managed to cool the degenerate matter of the supernova remnants to make your blood."

"You are trying to figure out how I was made?" She asked with a wide smile.

"I...uh. Yeah," he said bashfully. "Sorry."

She unexpectedly threw her arms around his neck and whispered, "Thank you."

He shuddered as her lips grazed the sensitive skin of his neck and he shakily replied, "Y-you're welcome."

She pulled away, "Thank you for helping me understand."

"I'll always help you," he told her quietly. Then with more volume he asked, "I still don't understand how you understood the equation."

She shrugged again, "I do not know, Bruce. My mind knew what to do."

"She's built like a machine," Tony's voice sounded from behind them and everyone in the room looked at him. Bruce and Stella turned towards each other so that they could look over the back of the couch. Their knees touched and Bruce blushed. The heat between them was overwhelming.

"Her mind was designed to crunch data like a computer," Tony said slowly. "Artificial intelligence, remember? She was Siri before Siri was cool. So was Jarvis. Actually, come to think of it, Siri is sort of a late bloomer. Ah well, there's always gotta be one," he gave a pointed look to Bruce who rolled his eyes and smiled.

"That doesn't make you any less human!" Steve quickly called from his seat at the table. He felt like he had to reassure her of that fact constantly. And he wanted to contribute to the conversation.

Stella gave him a smile as she turned to face him. Bruce's knee turned cold from the absence of her touch and he debated slightly inching to his left so that he could be up against her again. _No, I'd never hear the end of that if Tony saw, which he would._

"I know, Steve," she told him with a smile.

"Is there anything that you are not able to do?" Thor asked with a mouth full of sandwich.

Almost immediately everyone answered at the exact same time. Even Clint way up on the catwalk shouted down.

"Sing!"

Stella blushed. It was true. She could not carry a tune to save her life. She had been watching television and she asked Tony what a certain song was. He had not known what she was talking about so she had tried to sing him the melody. He had immediately covered her mouth with both of his hands and Natasha ran over and asked if anyone was in pain. _That_ was how bad her singing was.

"Your singing reminds me of the baker woman from back on Asgard," Thor smiled off in a distant memory while everyone's face leveled. Thor was a character alright.

"I like your singing," Bruce said with a smile.

"You do?" Stella asked with doubt in her voice.

"Yeah," he nodded, smiling to himself. "It's like a bunch of cats fighting with metal armor on."

Stella huffed and pushed his knee with her hand in a playful manner. Bruce reveled in the return of heat to his knee if only for the few seconds her hand was pressed against his skin. Stella briefly looked down at her hand as it stayed against his pant leg. She felt the warmth too. She retracted her hand but continued to stare down at it.

"That's actually pretty accurate," Natasha said about the fighting cats simile.

Stella blushed even further.

"Don't worry, Supernova. We're all bad at something. Captain Awkward and The Incredible Dork can't talk to women. Assassin flavored vodka eats every man she dates. Hawkbrain has malfunctioning machinery," Tony eyed the sparking arrow in Clint's hand with a double entendre playing behind his words. "And L'oreal over here sounds like he came straight from a Shakespeare play."

"And what about you?" Natasha crossed her arms and gave Tony a pointed look.

He shrugged, "I'll let you know when I find a flaw in myself."

Stella simply smiled at him. She thought Tony was simply the greatest. It was obvious that she put him on a pedestal. Tony didn't understand why and the rest of the team _definitely_ didn't get it, but Stella idolized Tony. And she _obviously_ had a thing for Bruce, even if she didn't realize it. Or maybe she did and just didn't understand.

Tony snapped his fingers into the shape of two guns and pointed them at Stella, "Gotta talk to you, Starburst. Mind parting from your boy-toy for a minute?"

"_Tony_," Bruce scolded.

Stella was oblivious. "Bruce is not a toy, Tony," she said as she got up and walked towards the billionaire. Bruce smiled as Tony rolled his eyes.

"Of course he's not, kiddo. Now come on," he clapped her on the back. "We have loads to talk about."

"Like the birds and the bees?"

Tony paled again, "I can't believe my dad didn't think to program you with the knowledge that most, what, twenty-eight, thirty year old, people have in their brains. We'll check your file. See if you were given an age. I'm gonna ballpark thirty or so. Don't hit me, it's just a guess. FYI, women don't like to be asked about their age for some reason. Or their pant size..."

"Tony, are you avoiding telling me the story?"

"Yes. Yes I am."

"Why?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Because I'm uncomfortable."

"Why are you uncomfortable?"

"Because I just _am."_

"But _why_?"

"My god, you _are_ like a small child."

"I'm thirty."

"I said I _thought_ you were thirty. Fine, twenty-nine. Happy?"

"Happy about what? You still have not told me the story."

"Shush."

By the time their father-daughter-esque argument had ended, Tony had maneuvered Stella up the steps, down the catwalk, and into his room which of course was huge. Stella's eyes slightly bulged.

"Your sleeping place is much bigger than mine."

"It's because I'm older," he told her distractedly as he took her by the shoulders and sat her on his bed. "Now sit."

Tony pulled a chair over from his personal work table and placed it in front of Stella with the back facing her. He straddled the chair and crossed his arms over the top as he looked at her. They were silent for a few long moments and Stella fiddled with her folded hands in her lap. She forgot to bring her tea...

Tony stared at the woman in front of him and tried to piece his words together. He never really cared about anyone other than his mother, Pepper and Obi (and he turned out _swell_, didn't he?), so it was hard for him to imagine what to say. Hard for Tony Stark to find words. Who in the world was he turning into? But as he looked at the wide, silver eyes of the pink haired woman in front of him, he knew exactly what he had to say.

"I'm sorry," Tony told her after a while. Stella went to say something but he held a finger up. "Just...just let me say it. I don't say it often so consider yourself lucky. You may think it's some miracle that you came to us and met us, but I don't think you get it. My father _made_ you. I have to live with the fact that my dad created a human being from scratch and then inserted things into her and morphed her into this...this _machine_. _I_ have to live with that, Stell. Seeing my name on the back of your neck it..._normally_ it makes me proud but not this time. Not when it's on you."

Tony sighed and looked down. He ran his tongue between his teeth and his lips, shaking his head before continuing, "It's funny. I've seen my company be the reason a person dies but never the reason why one lives. It's slightly poetic."

"Poetic?"

"It's...never mind. You'll figure it out eventually."

Stella gave him a smile and reached forward. Her slender fingers wrapped around his forearm and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You must stop apologizing. It was not your fault nor will it ever be. I am alive because of your father. Without him I would only be a dying star."

Tony mulled over her words. He never thought of it that way before. The energy from a dying star explosion was pulsing through her veins rather than normal human blood. She was correct in saying that without Tony's father and his father's team's ingenuity she would be nothing more than a massive, dying ball of plasmic substance.

"Your father gave me life, Tony. The greatest of all gifts." She sounded far wiser in these moments with Tony than ever before. "And now I am with another gift of his." She smiled at him, "What more can I ask for? Except for the Molecule Man to stop being terrible and for Fury to like me."

Tony cracked a smile at her pout. "You're something else, Supernova. You know that?"

"I am a star, Tony," Stella said in confusion. Had he forgotten already? She had just said it. "What else am I?"

Tony sighed. "And we're back," he mumbled to himself.

Stella leaned forward with an expectant look on her face after a few moments of silence had passed. Tony understood immediately what she wanted and frowned. He held his hands up in a "_No more! No more!_" gesture, shaking his palms back and forth.

"_Whhhyyyy_ must you be so persistent?" He whined. And now he was whining. Very un-Tony.

She gave him a pointed look and he sighed.

"Fine. I'll tell you."

He took a deep breath and spread out the fingers of both of his hands and pointed them towards each other. "When a man loves a woman," he fitted his fingers into each other and laced them together, "this happens."

"That is all?"

Tony frowned and furrowed his eyebrows. He angled his laced fingers so he could see their fronts and then looked at her, baffled. "That's _all_? That was a very detailed description of what happens." He thrust his laced fingers at her, "See?"

She nodded skeptically, "I believe I understand."

Tony gave a huge sigh of relief, slapped his thighs after he unlaced his fingers, and sprang out of his seat.

"Great!" He clapped her on the shoulder. "We're done here!"

He quickly fled from the room as a thought came to her. She raced after Tony with one finger in the air.

"But Tony! You have not told me where the birds and bees come in!"

* * *

The Avengers all gathered on the large couch and faced the TV screen. Steve and Tony were on the ends while Stella, Bruce, and Pepper filled in the middle in that order. When Pepper had walked in, Stella had immediately ran towards her and greeted her cheerfully. Tony had rolled his eyes as the women conversed animatedly and called over, "I'll be over here if you need me, _dear_."

Natasha settled herself in her armchair from earlier (although she couldn't believe she had agreed to watch this movie) and Clint sat sprawled on the floor with his back pressed against the couch. His hands were folded over his stomach as his eyes stayed fixed to the screen. Thor lay spread out on the floor by the opposite end of the couch. A giant bowl of popcorn would be passed around from time to time.

"They freak me out," Clint said as the small characters danced around on the screen.

"I must agree that these creatures do not look as they do on Nidavellir," Thor commented. "And we do not call them 'munchkins'."

It had been Steve's turn to pick the movie.

"_Shh_," the captain commanded. "The flying monkeys are coming up soon."

Tony rolled his eyes again and took Pepper's hand in his. Stella looked over and her eyes widened in horror.

"Tony!" She screeched. "You can not do that in front of people!"

Everyone turned around, startled, and stared at Pepper and Tony. The strawberry-blonde beauty looked to her boyfriend in confusion as he shrank in his seat with his free hand firmly planted over his eyes.

Stella continued in a harsh whisper, unaware that everyone could still hear her, "Plus there are no birds or bees around!"

Bruce looked at Stella, "Stella, what?"

She focused her gaze on him and gave him a '_oh, come on! It's obvious!'_ look, "They are having the sex right in front of us!"

Bruce closed his mouth and felt heat swarm up to his face.

"We are not '_having the sex'_, Stella," Tony said with a sigh. So much for getting out of _that_ conversation.

"You told me that is what that is!" She pointed at their joined hands. She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth, and turned to Bruce, "That means _we_ have had sex!"

Bruce's face, if possible, turned an even brighter shade of red, "N-no. We haven't. I think I would have known..." _Yes. I _definitely _would have known that. And now I'm thinking about it. Stop! Bruce! Gah!_

"This is called hand holding, Stella," Pepper explained patiently. "Apparently _Tony_," she gave him a look, "explained sex to you wrong."

"It was awkward!" He defended himself. "I don't _do_ awkward! That's Gamma-ray's job!"

"You explained _that_ to Stella?" Steve exclaimed. "Tony!"

"Okay, _honey_," Tony mocked, "calm down before you have an aneurism."

"Sweetie, I'll explain it to you later," Pepper told Stella. "It's best heard from another woman."

Stella nodded slowly and looked at Bruce, "So we have not had sex?"

Bruce's voice was strained as he squeaked out, "No."

"But that is what a man and a woman do," she said.

"Yes, but they usually date first," Pepper answered for Bruce who looked about ready to pass out.

"And how do you start that?" Stella wondered.

"Well the man normally asks the woman out or he shows her that he's interested."

"Like how?"

"Like hand holding, for example," Pepper held up her and Tony's conjoined hands. "This shows we're in a relationship and care about each other."

"Well I don't know about tha-" Pepper cut Tony off by squeezing his hand roughly. "Yes. Yes it does."

"Oh," Stella said. "I understand."

"Great! We all understand," Steve said, completely uncomfortable. "Now _please_ be quiet?" He whispered to himself, "I'm gonna miss the monkeys."

Everyone quieted down but Bruce was still breathing hard. He could do this. He could _totally_ do this. _You gotta run the race to get the prize, Bruce._

Stella was looking at Tony and Pepper's conjoined hands longingly when she felt it. Warm flesh slid up her wrist and strong, smooth fingers brushed up against hers. She looked down and saw her hand gently clasped inside of a larger one. Her silver eyes traveled up the length of the person's arm and met the warm, brown eyes of Bruce. He smiled at her nervously and she returned the gesture, fitting herself against his side like she had seen Pepper do. Bruce sighed in content to himself as he let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. He had done it. He had taken the first step. They both smiled at each other.

Everyone continued to watch the movie as the Wicked Witch of the West shooed her flying monkeys out to do her bidding.

* * *

**Longest chapter to date! I was going to break it up but I decided not to.**

**So we have some cute development going on between Bruce and Stella :D And sex talk, which is always funny when you have Tony trying to explain it. Writing a deliberate out of character Tony scene _in character_ is extremely difficult. Hopefully no one hated it, but he needed to get it out of his system. Some more science talk and action coming up next!**

**I'll probably get the next update out this weekend so I hope this holds ya'll over until then. I made it nice and long! I hope everyone liked it. I believe I'm happy with how it turned out. If there are any mistakes let me know because my eyes are starting to cross from staring at the screen for so long. But I wanted to get this out so if you catch anything tell me! I appreciate it.**

**Again, your reviews make me smile and I love that ya'll are loving the story and giving such positive feedback. It means the world to me, truly. Stay tuned for more :D xx**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Marvel. Stella and the plot are mine.

* * *

"_I need your help."_

"_Well this is new. What do you need help with? Being humble?"_

"_Oh ha-ha. Let me ask you a question. Of the two people in the room who is a billionaire and who is a socially awkward scientist?"_

"_Harsh."_

"_I'll get you a band-aid. But I need your help first."_

"_Go on."_

"_Distract Stella for a few hours for me."_

"_Why?"_

"_Look at this date in her master file."_

"_That's today."_

"_Yep."_

"_So...oh. I get it."_

"_Careful, don't hurt yourself. But yeah, take her out. Woo her. You know, be me."_

"_Oh, no one can be you, Tony."_

"_I know. But just try."_

Bruce really hated Tony sometimes. He wouldn't be in this situation if it hadn't been for him. Stupid Tony and his stupid ideas. Although, the caring side of Tony was refreshing so at least that was something, even if the caring was directed towards Stella and Pepper and basically no one else. Oh well.

Bruce stared across the table at Stella and couldn't help but smile despite his feeling of complete idiocy. She was staring intently down at her plate of pasta and trying (and failing) to twirl some onto her fork. After watching Bruce successfully spin the noodles onto his own fork, Stella thought it would be 'a piece of cake,' as Tony usually said. She had been wrong _and_ there wasn't even cake.

Her face, screwed in concentration, was adorable in Bruce's eyes. It slightly made up for the fact that he was the most awkward date ever. He wasn't trying to be. It just always happened that way. When Tony suggested that Bruce take her out to Little Italy and show her italian food, he had mentally cringed. Bruce and sauce covered pasta never went well together. He was thankful he had chosen a black button down shirt.

Stella failed again. The pasta would just not stay on her fork. She '_humphed!'_ and set her fork down onto her pasta bowl. The loud clatter startled her and made her jump in her seat slightly. Bruce chuckled as she sighed. She was way too endearing to him.

"I do not know how you eat this food. It is impossible."

"It's not really once you get the hang of it. Here," Bruce reached his hand forward and held it out. "I'll show you."

Stella took his hand and he showed her how to hold the fork in preparation for pasta spinning. Slowly, he used his thumb and pointer finger to maneuver her own against her fork. She watched, amazed, as the pasta began to scoop up and not slip off. The feeling of his skin against hers was calming.

"Some people use a spoon to twirl it against," Bruce said softly to her without taking his eyes off the pasta. He was focused intently on helping her learn. "But I don't."

"Then I will do it as you do," she gave him a gentle smile, no longer looking at what he was doing with her hands but rather at his handsome, focused face.

He smiled up at her and removed his hand from hers. There was an immediate absence of heat and Bruce had a feeling that he would never get over that instant feeling of emptiness whenever he let go of her. Stella marveled at the perfectly spun pasta before eating the forkful. She moaned in delight.

"This is most delicious, Bruce," she covered her mouth while she spoke. "Thank you for showing me this small Italy."

"Little Italy," Bruce corrected her with a smile.

"Is there a big Italy?" She wondered.

Bruce laughed and shook his head, "It's just called Italy. It's in Europe."

"What is Europe?"

"It's a continent, like North America."

"And that is where we are right now?"

"North America, yeah."

Stella's eyes widened, "The world is quite large. Is there a Little Earth?"

Bruce laughed out loud, "No, no. Just one."

Stella went to say something but then noticed a lot of the patrons in the restaurant staring at her. She became uncomfortable and squirmed in her seat. Why were they staring?

"Bruce," she said lowly. "People are staring. I do not understand."

Bruce looked around and noticed the stares as well. He shrank in his seat. Attention was not something he or the Other Guy liked at all.

"They're staring at us."

"Why?" She continued in her low whisper.

"Because they know, uh-"

"What we are?" Stella asked with sad eyes.

Bruce winced, "Yeah. They know what we are."

Stella drew in a deep breath and looked around, "We are no different from them, Bruce."

"Yes we are," he said sadly, thinking of all the normalcy that he could never have - like eating a peaceful dinner in Little Italy.

Stella roughly stood up, her seat making a loud scraping noise as it shot out from behind her, "Then we do not belong here with their ridicule."

All eyes continued to stare at her in the little hole in the wall restaurant and she frowned at every single one of them.

"I do not know why you choose to stare at us, but I would never stare at you. It is unfair and quite rude. I am not from here and even I was taught manners."

A few people looked back down to their dinners, slightly ashamed.

Stella looked down at Bruce with a large, expectant smile, "Shall we go?"

Bruce grinned back at her, stood from his seat, placed some money down on the table, and held his hand out for her to take. He laced her fingers through his and felt a small blush creep up onto his cheeks but yet couldn't help but also feel completely content.

"Yeah, let's go. I want to show you something."

* * *

"Thor, why would you eat that?"

"It is made to look like real food, Lady Pepper. I was under the assumption that it was! This is most off-putting."

"That's because it's made of wax."

"I was not warned of this."

"We'll make a sign next time."

"That would be greatly appreciated."

Tony walked up to Pepper as Thor walked away. The billionaire and his girlfriend both had straight, unamused faces.

"He just eat the fake fruit?"

"Yep."

* * *

Stella had once overheard Tony and Steve arguing over whether losing one's sight or one's hearing was worse. Steve had argued hearing was worse because although things change their shape, noises tend to stay the same. Stella thought that maybe Steve preferred hearing over sight because he did not particularly like the time period he had been thrown into. Tony, on the other hand _as usual_, argued that sight was more important. How else would he see all the 'awesome' that he created?

Stella believed that she would have to agree with Tony. Being blind was not very fun and it had taken her until now to realize this.

Bruce laughed at her pout as he covered her eyes with his warm hands. She had complained about not knowing where to go the entire time even though Bruce had assured her that he would not let her fall, that she would be safe with him.

"You're safe, you know," he told her again as he led her onto an elevator. "I'm not going to let you fall."

"It is not me I am worried about," she said. He could feel her eyebrows shift underneath his hands. "It is you."

He chuckled a little, "Why are you worried about me?"

"Because I care about what happens to you," she said simply.

Bruce's heart fluttered, "Yeah? So do you think something is going to happen to me right now?"

She shrugged, "I can not be sure. But if something does then I will not be able to see it."

"You know that I didn't take your vision permanently, right?" He leaned in close to her ear as he maneuvered her off the elevator. She shivered as his warm breath danced on her skin. It was a stark contrast to the cool air of wherever they had just entered.

Her eyes widened underneath his hands, "You did not?"

He laughed and shook his head even though she couldn't see, "No, I didn't." He removed his hands, "See?"

"Yes, now I can- oh, _my_!" She stopped midway through and gasped at the sight before her.

* * *

"This doesn't even make sense. Why would the ice sculpture go _there_?"

"Clint, I didn't know you were interested in these sorts of things. We need to hang this banner."

"I'm _not_, Tasha. But _look!_ That's completely in the wrong spot."

"I don't see a problem with it."

"You don't- _what_? There's too much going on on this side of the room! It's off balance!"

Natasha blinked, "What is _wrong_ with you?"

"Who put that ice sculpture there?" Pepper yelled from across the room.

"Thank you!" Clint shouted to no one in particular.

Natasha let the banner fall from her hands and walked away, already wanting to kill everybody in the room.

* * *

The buildings of New York City were brilliantly lit down below. The lights twinkled and shined against the deep purples and dark blues of the sky. The cool air gently whipped against her face as the sounds on the streets below faded to nothing but dim background noise. They were so high up, so high above everybody else. Stella turned to Bruce and gave him a huge smile.

"What is this place?"

Bruce looked self conscious, like he didn't think he was that impressive of a guy, "It's the Empire State Building. Thought you might like the view."

"Bruce," Stella said softly as she walked over to him, "this is wonderful. Nobody has showed me so much beauty before. Have you ever seen so much?" She asked the last question with wide arms as she returned her gaze to the breathtaking view.

Bruce put his hands in his pockets and shrugged to himself, looking at Stella.

"Every day," he whispered as he watched her marvel at the cityscape.

Her pink hair was blowing in the wind and he could smell the scent of rain. He had checked the forecast before they had left Stark Tower (a ticking time bomb of a guy needed to know these things in case something terrible happened) and there was no chance of rain. Taking a deep breath in, he sighed in contentment.

Stella turned from the view and looked at Bruce. He was standing quite a ways behind her, hands in his pockets, looking down at his shoes. She felt her insides constrict as the wind tousled his messy hair, his slightly too big shirt rippling in the breeze. Bruce amazed her in every way possible. She used to not know what all of these feelings inside of her meant - the quickening pace of her heart, the sweat collecting on her palms, the flutter that pinged around in her chest - but now she knew. She'd seen it in the movies dozens of times.

"Bruce, I like you," she blurted out. Her eyes went slightly wide as she looked at him expectantly, her palms at her sides but her fingers spread out in anticipation. She was almost standing on her tip toes as her entire body tensed up at the revelation of her feelings.

Bruce's head snapped up at her words. He saw her standing there, a look of complete suspense on her face as she waited for him to reply. The sparkling lights of the city framed her face and he couldn't help but smile. She looked heaven-sent. She _was_ heaven-sent.

* * *

"Mine doesn't look like that."

"That's because I don't suck."

"Tony."

"Steve."

"_Boys_," Pepper came up behind them with an exasperated look on her face. She looked at what Steve was holding, "Oh my god, who did _that_?"

Steve's face leveled and his shoulders slumped, "I did."

Pepper gently took the item away from the super soldier, "You know what? I'll do this, sweetie."

Tony childishly stuck out his tongue at the Captain. Pepper rounded on her boyfriend.

"Don't look so coy. I know you didn't do that," she pointed at Tony's lap. Tony frowned. How did she...?

"Lady Pepper!" Thor bellowed from across the room. "There seems to be a problem with this adhesive hanging device! I cannot free myself and require assistance."

Pepper groaned and quickly walked over to Thor.

"She called me sweetie," Steve whined as he sat on the floor like a three year old.

"Could be worse," Tony mumbled, bringing his palm to his forehead. "You could be covered in double sided tape like Thor."

They both watched as Pepper tried to untangled Thor from the tape. Clint was in the background arguing with Natasha over the banner and she kicked the ladder out from underneath him. The archer toppled to the ground. Thor paid no attention to them as he ripped himself out of his tape bonds.

"I am free!"

Steve and Tony shared a look.

"You're right. It could be worse."

* * *

"You are smiling," she whispered, her pose never relaxing, eyes still wide and expectant like a child's.

"I am," he grinned, nervous as hell but advancing towards her anyway.

She felt a smile pull at her lips and couldn't stop it from erupting over. "Why?" Her voice was still a whisper but Bruce could hear it.

"Because I like you too," he said shyly. It was a mumble, he realized, and he suddenly felt like he was back in middle school. Or high school. Or college...or actually any other time in his life ever.

Stella blinked and let out a sound of relief mixed with a small squeal, "You do?"

Bruce nodded, his hands still in his pockets, a blush already present on his cheeks as he said shyly, "It's pretty obvious, actually."

Stella's form relaxed a little. She was no longer on her toes and her fingers were no longer spread out. Instead, she wrung them out nervously in front of her, just as Bruce always did.

"I am not very good at noticing things," she said sheepishly. "_That_ is obvious."

"You noticed me," Bruce looked down at her, running his hand through his hair in a nervous tic.

Stella looked up, "You are hard to not notice."

His lips twitched sadly, "Not many people say that."

Stella frowned, "Many people are foolish then."

"Why?" He whispered. Stella was unaware of how close their faces were but Bruce was _very_ much aware.

Stella let out a small noise of surprise as her nose bumped his. Her eyes went slightly cross-eyed to look down the length of their noses. _Now_ she was aware.

She answered at the same volume, "They are missing out on someone amazing."

"Stella..." Bruce couldn't even find words. His heart was beating so fast he thought he would either Hulk out (which really wouldn't do anybody any good) or pass out (which would be embarassing and _still_ not good). Stella was so beautiful and somehow unaware of the effect she had on him. He couldn't think of anything except for her silvery grey eyes locked onto his and the scent of rain that drifted through his senses.

Stella gave him an apologetic smile, "I am sorry."

Bruce felt her small fingers slide between the spaces of his larger ones. He managed to formulate a response. "Sorry for what?"

"This is the moment when two people are supposed to kiss but I do not know how," she said bashfully, biting her lip in embarrassment.

It took everything in him for Bruce not to pass out on the spot.

His bottom lip trembled as did his words when he spoke, "I'll...I'll show you how."

He slowly pulled her in close and Stella realized that Tony really had been right. She would never want to lose her ability to see. She wouldn't be able to see Bruce's face, inches from hers, and his big, brown eyes filled with adoration and warmth. No, she would never want to miss out on this view.

Bruce took a deep breath and dipped his head down.

* * *

Tony slung an arm around Pepper's shoulders, feeling extremely accomplished.

"I'm a genius. This is great. I think I've found my true calling. How 'bout it, babe?"

"_You_ didn't do _anything_," she shot back at him.

He shrugged, "I thought of it."

Pepper rolled her eyes and squirmed out of his grip, "Just call Bruce. I'm going to go help your boyfriend."

From across the room, Pepper had spotted Steve surrounded by a gang of giggling women. The Captain looked completely helpless and, to be honest, extremely scared. The look of relief that passed over his face when Pepper came over to break the group up was priceless.

Tony rolled his eyes. "As if he would be so lucky," he mumbled in reference to the boyfriend comment. He slid out his phone and dialed Bruce's number.

"It better be PG over there, Gamma-ray."

* * *

The blasting sound of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" made Bruce and Stella jump back from each other. Bruce closed his eyes in annoyance. Damnit, Tony.

"Who is singing that?" Stella whipped her head around, trying to find the source of the noise. She looked to Bruce's pants, "Bruce! Your pants are singing!"

"It's just my phone," Bruce heaved out a large sigh and tried not to think about Stella looking at his pants. "It's Tony."

"Tony is your pho- _oh_. I see," she smiled at herself for understanding what Bruce meant. Tony was _not_ the phone. He was simply calling.

"What do you want, Tony?" Bruce asked.

"_Are you keeping your hands to yourself, Brucie-boy? Because if not I'll have to cut them off, you know."_

"You have impeccable timing is all I'm going to say," Bruce said back flatly.

"Bruce was about to teach me to kiss and then you called! Hello, Tony!" Stella smiled into the phone.

Bruce, his hand against his forehead, could hear Tony laughing out loud, "_Oh man, she is priceless. I love that tiny alien woman, I swear. Sorry to interrupt your schmoozing session but we need her back here now."_

"A text wouldn't have worked?"

"_Where's the fun in that? Did you like the ring tone I set for myself? Of course you did. Who am I kidding? That's classic."_

"Adorable."

"_I know I am. Now get her back here and no pit stops! Oh, gotta go. Natasha is about to kick some girl's ass. I can't miss this. Bye, lover-boy."_

Tony hung up before Bruce could respond. He sighed and put his phone back in his pocket. As he turned to look at Stella, he felt a warm, delicate pressure spread across his lips, slightly off center. Two tiny hands gently pressed against his chest and he felt like he was standing in the middle of a summer's rain. Bliss seeped into his entire body and his lips curved upwards into a small smile. He pushed his lips back onto hers in response, moving them over and showing her where they were supposed to go.

Stella had never imagined that kissing would be so amazing. She had seen them many times in the movies but to feel one was much different. It was the greatest feeling she had yet to experience. The soft skin of Bruce's lips fit against hers in such a way that every fiber in her felt alive. She was pulsing with happiness and harmonic energy.

Bruce felt tingles dance up and down his spine as he pulled away from her. With his face still a breath away from hers, he looked down at her. She could feel his heart beating underneath her hands and she smiled back, a worried look in her shining eyes.

"Did I do it correctly?"

Bruce brought his hand up to cup her cheek and all he could manage was a throaty reply of, "Y-yeah."

She beamed up at him and giggled quietly. Bruce's heart burst with happiness and he dropped his head down to capture her lips in his again. Tony had said no pit stops but he never said no lingering in the same place, now did he? A few more minutes couldn't hurt...

* * *

Unbeknownst to the happy couple and the rest of New York City, Owen Reece was finalizing his master plan. He ran his hand along a pillar of the Bayonne Bridge, getting a feel for the construction of it, before quickly speeding off, undetected by those pesky S.H.I.E.L.D agents.

"Soon," he whispered to himself as the city zoomed by in his peripherals. "Soon."

* * *

**So, I sincerely apologize for the wait. This class has consumed my entire life, I swear. I do nothing but study and occasionally eat. It's THAT bad. Anyway, I was finally able to get this one out! Yay!**

**I hope you all liked this :] I know I did. I debated whether I wanted them to kiss or not and that is part of the reason why this wasn't out yesterday like I had hoped. I have a problem where I make relationships develop painstakingly slow. I changed it up a little with this! I think it was time for them to advance, though. We're nearing the end of this story so I wanted to establish some sort of relationship before the sequel.**

**Also, I hope you all could follow along. I didn't want to give away the location of the other Avengers and what they were doing. Ya'll can probably take a good guess though! Comic Thor is always fun to write because in the comics he's always up to shenanigans. A little comic relief before the shit-storm arrives in a few chapters! I mean...what? **

**As usual, thank you all so much for the reviews and for sticking with me! I love you all to itty bitty pieces and I'd give you all hugs if I could! Have some internet hugs for now and stay tuned! :D**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Marvel. Stella and the plot are mine.

* * *

Tony swung the door open with an unamused face, one hand clumsily holding a glass of whiskey.

"You're late," he said with no emotion towards Bruce. He turned to Stella, "Did he do anything inappropriate?"

Stella said nothing, unsure of _what_ exactly to say, and looked at Bruce. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. He couldn't lie to save his life when it came to Tony.

Tony's shoulders sank. "You grew up too fast," he whined.

Bruce cocked an eyebrow, "Tony, are you drunk already?"

Tony widened his eyes and threw his head back in an attempt to clear his vision as he looked at his wristwatch, "I'm actually behind schedule tonight."

"May we come in?" Stella asked as she peered around Tony. There was a lot of noise coming from the Avengers' living area and it peeked her interest. What was happening?

"Oh! Yeah! Come in. Get ready to go wild!" He threw his hands up in the air and some whiskey sloshed over the side of his cup. Bruce and Stella eyed the billionaire warily as he sauntered in ahead of them. The shy scientist took the pink haired woman's hand and they both shared a small smile. Stella liked relationships, she decided. Especially with Bruce. He made her feel human.

His rough thumb rubbing along the smooth skin of her pointer finger was calming as they entered the main living room. A huge applause erupted, thanks to Tony's frantic pointing and shouting of "THAT'S HER! THAT'S HER!" and Stella stopped walking to stand still, eyes wide. This was _most_ chaotic.

There were literally hundreds of people squished into the two story quarters. Music was pumping from a DJ booth and streamers were hanging from the catwalk, the ceiling, the tables, _Thor_. Confetti was everywhere and so was the alcohol- both in cups and out of cups, unfortunately. Guys and girls were mingling, screaming, canoodling, and dancing. There seemed to be _double _the amount of S.H.I.E.L.D agents looming around keeping (well, _trying _to keep) everyone at bay. The party was in full swing and Stella was extremely confused _and_ scared. What manner of celebration _was_ this?!

Then she spotted a large banner that hung from one side of the catwalk and spanned the length of the room all the way to the other side. In huge, bright pink letters were the words "**HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SUPERNOVA!" **with pink stars decorating the edges.

Her eyes watered and she whispered to Bruce, "Is this for me?"

He smiled at her and squeezed her hand, "Happy birthday, Stella."

She beamed at him and squealed, "Birthdays are for humans, yes? This is wonderful! I do not know any of these people but this is still wonderful!"

"Yeah..." Bruce trailed off. "I don't think anybody knows these people."

"The birthday girl is here!" Tony yelled out, spilling more whiskey on the ground. "Time for the party to really start! Where's my girlfriend? Pepper? Pepper?!"

Everyone screamed and cheered as the music grew louder and Stella blanched, "It has not yet begun?"

Bruce sighed as he caught sight of his fellow Avengers, "Oh, boy."

Thor was covered head to toe in streamers, several party hats sitting atop his blonde locks. He was holding the largest mug Bruce had ever seen from which frothy golden liquid spilled over as the god animatedly regaled the group of listeners around him with stories of old.

"Oh, the Vanir thought that they had outsmarted we Aesir but my father, glorious Odin All-Father, could not be beaten so easily!"

"What happened next?" An eager, extremely drunk brunette asked as she downed another Cosmopolitan.

Thor looked puzzled for a moment before his eyebrows furrowed and he replied with much less gusto, "The Aesir and the Vanir settled on a truce and became unified."

The crowd's eyes all fell in disappointment at the anticlimactic ending. Thor, not one to let down a group of listeners, threw his stein up in the air.

"But have you heard of the victory of Odin against The Jotunns, Midgardians?!"

The crowd cheered as Thor launched into the tale, several streamers and a slew of confetti flying off of him as he spread his arms out wide.

Over in the corner, Steve and Natasha stood together - Steve with a terrified look on his face and Natasha with a scowl sour enough to drive anyone away. The assassin's arms were crossed over her chest, her foot tapping the ground impatiently as she stared at something off in the distance. Steve was slightly huddled behind her, his hand clenched around a bottle of water. The super soldier was unable to get drunk, so why bother? However, the advances of every woman in the room made him uncomfortable. None of them danced the way he would have wanted to dance with Peggy. He wished he was drunk. Or maybe a little bit like Clint.

Bruce followed Natasha's narrowed eyes over to where the archer was standing. He had one arm grasping onto the ice sculpture and the other swinging a beer back and forth. The ice sculpture was carved to depict numerous stars of all shapes and sizes sliding down a shining icy river and onto what was made to look like the top of Earth. Clint passed his beer down to a random guy who hooted and hollered in response as the Agent grabbed an arrow from his quiver. Dressed in normal civilian dress clothes, Clint looked silly with his archery gear.

He notched an arrow, expertly balancing himself against the sculpture, and fired towards the ceiling. The arrow exploded into a small firework of a star, glowing brilliantly with pink sparks. The crowd cheered as he shot off more starburst arrows.

"So that's what he was working on that day," Bruce mused to himself, remembering Clint working on the sparking arrow on the day Stella had learned that hand holding was _not_ sex.

"I am unsure of what to do," Stella said to no one in particular.

"I'll show you, Supernova!" Tony came swooping in, Pepper in her heels trying to keep up behind him. She looked exasperated but extremely accomplished.

"Happy birthday, Stell," the strawberry blonde told the pink haired woman with a warm smile.

Stella ignored Tony pulling at her hand and beamed at the woman before her, "You did this for me?"

Pepper rolled her eyes, "Tony thought of it but I put it together."

"Wouldn't have happened without me!" Tony swayed on spot and grabbed onto Stella again to steady himself. The pink haired woman stood ramrod straight, confused by her hero's actions and wondering what in the cosmos was wrong with her friends.

"Why is Thor wearing so many hats?" Stella asked quietly as Tony sloppily fell against her. She paid no attention to him as her eyes stayed focused on the Asgardian across the room.

Pepper could barely hear her over the music but managed to understand what the pink haired woman was talking about when she got a glance of the god.

"He's..." Pepper couldn't find the right words and sighed, "He's very happy right now."

Stella smiled at her friend's merriment, "Well that's good, then."

"Come _onnnn_!" Tony drawled out. "Come see your cake. I'll make you a drink. Oh my _god_ I'm giving you alcohol. Is this what a father feels like on his kid's twenty-first? I mean, you're thirty but -Pepper! Get the camera. Where's Steve? He should be here. Bruce, what are you doing standing there like a schmuck? Loosen up! What were we doing? Oh, right. To the alcohol!"

Tony dragged Stella over to the bar, the pink haired woman looking horrified and confused as all hell. The Iron Man started mixing a few drinks together with expert deftness and handed the glass over to Stella. Her eyes were wide as she tentatively sniffed it. Tony encouraged her to take a sip and she did so. When the liquid hit her taste bids she cringed and pulled a face. With much difficulty she managed to swallow her mouthful but immediately afterwards she thrust the glass back at Tony, closing her eyes and shaking her head.

"That was not pleasant at all! What was that?"

Tony held up the glass, as if forgetting what he put in it, and shrugged, "Can't remember. I can't believe you're not a drinker," he pouted. Then he mumbled, "Must have gotten that from Steve..."

Pepper rolled her eyes, "You're not her actual...forget it."

Tony shrugged to himself again, downed the rest of Stella's drink, and got up on top of the bar. Bruce came up behind Stella, trying as hard as possible to shrink into nothing so that he wouldn't have to mingle, and reached for her hand. She laced their fingers together and pushed herself close to him, extremely uncomfortable with the party but very grateful that her friends had thought of her.

"Everyone!" Tony shouted out, "Everyone listen up! I'm going to," he swallowed and gave a small burp, "_Woah_. I'm going to give a speech."

Clint came over and slung an arm around Stella, "Happy birthday, Stell."

She smiled at the archer, "Thank you, Clint. I very much liked the star arrows."

"Happy birthday," she heard from behind her. Natasha appeared over her shoulder, extending a friendly hand and giving Stella's free hand a short squeeze before releasing it. "Your file says you were made today."

"Yeah, happy birthday," Steve said, ducking underneath a guy who had a girl atop his shoulders.

"Don't worry about age," he shrugged. "It doesn't really matter when you're as old as we are," he said referring to the fact that they both slept for a _very_ long time.

"But Tony thinks you're thirty," Clint added anyway, earning a glare from Natasha.

Stella nodded politely, not really sure what any of that meant, and stood with the other Avengers as Tony swayed on top of the bar.

"Someone hold my drink. Stella! Hold this, babycakes. Thanks."

Stella looked up at him as she held his new glass of brown liquid. Babycakes? That did not sound appetizing. She hoped there were no cakes made from babies at her party...how horrid. She took a sip of his drink and squealed. _No_. No, she did not like alcohol one bit.

"I'm disappointed in you, kiddo," Tony said offhandedly at her alcohol intolerance. "Anyway! This party," he held up his hands, "isn't for me. I know, I know, you're shocked, but it isn't. This party," he held his arms out to the room and then pointed down at Stella, "is for this woman right here. Our own little supernova. Now, most of you don't know this, but this woman destroyed my car."

The crowd gasped out loud.

"Yep. Destroyed my Bentley. It was a travesty. BUT!" He shouted out and made Stella jump. "It changed my life forever -in the good way, of course. So I just want to say thank you, Stella, for bringing so much light, literally, to my life and to all of our lives. And for blasting Steve through, like, seven walls."

Stella blushed and Tony swayed backwards before regaining his balance.

"You're our own little starburst and," he looked out into the crowd and seemed to sober up significantly, "you belong here. With us."

Stella's eyes started to water and Bruce caressed her hand gently while Clint squeezed her shoulders.

"So, happy birthday to the light in all of our lives!" Tony raised his hand, noticed there was no drink in it, and reached down to grab his drink from Stella. He resumed his toasting and chugged the entire thing, followed by the rest of the crowd who cheered loudly.

Tony hopped down off the bar and kissed Stella on the cheek.

"Thank you, Tony," she said quietly, her big doe eyes looking around at all of the festivities.

"You deserved it," he shrugged. "You deserved to be noticed for what you are."

She looked at him, "What is that?"

Tony smiled, "A genuinely good person."

A single, happy tear trailed down from her silvery grey eye as Stella reached up to return the kiss on Tony's cheek. She looked over at Clint and started giggling in contentment. Natasha smiled at her friend and shook her head to herself before retreating back to her corner. Steve quickly followed, hunching his body to become as low as possible as he wove through the throngs of people.

Tony clapped Bruce on the back as he walked by.

"You know what birthdays mean, don't you?" He said slyly.

Bruce choked on air and gave Tony an incredulous look, "_What?!_"

"Birthday cake," Tony deadpanned. He grinned at Bruce's horror at being found out to have a dirty mind, "_And_ birthday sex. Duh."

Bruce's lip trembled, "N-no."

"Ah, I know you won't. That's why I said it." He became serious all of a sudden, "Because if you did I'd have to kill you."

Bruce was _actually_ convinced that Tony would, so he nodded at his friend and watched him swagger away with an arm draped over Pepper.

Stella didn't even know what sex was yet.

Thank _God_.

* * *

"No."

"Come on! One more time!"

"I believe that you have had enough."

"One more time!"

"No."

"Come on, Stell. Everyone, chant with me! One more time! One more time!"

Stella's eyebrows leveled as the entire room began to chant. She sighed and held up her hand, pointer finger to the sky.

"_One_ more time," she said sternly- which Bruce couldn't help but laugh at since her's and Tony's roles were reversed. This time _Stella_ was acting like an adult. Actually...Tony never really acted like an adult. Bruce pursed his lips in thought.

Tony clapped, "She said one more time!"

The crowd cheered and Stella sighed again, letting out a '_humph'_ as she blew a strand of hair off her forehead. She opened her palm so that it was facing the ceiling and the crowd watched as it was engulfed in a shimmering, silver glow. A streak of blue bolted across the orb which made the guests all whoop and holler. Stella rolled her eyes (Natasha smirking proudly from behind the crowd with Steve still huddled behind her) and placed her open palm over the top of Tony's newly replenished shot glass. She gently lowered her hand until the very edge of the starbolt ignited the top of the alcohol.

"Are you _sure_ this is safe for him?" Stella questioned of Bruce.

The scientist nodded, "It's only stardust around the edges. He'll be fine. Just a little heartburn in the morning."

"His heart will be burned?" She whispered harshly, turning her head with her hand still extended over the glass.

"He- no. It's - the glass!"

At his exclamation Stella returned her gaze to the glass and saw that she had, in fact, melted the glass almost down to Tony's hand. In his drunken stupor he failed to notice the heat and his reflexes reacted as an afterthought. He dropped the glass, hearing it shatter as it hit the ground, and pouted. _Pouted_.

"You did that on purpose."

Stella and Bruce both brought their hands to their faces.

"Well!" Tony turned to the crowd, "No more Stargazers for the rest of the night. Sorry, folks!" He turned to Stella, "Clever name, eh? I might patent it. Sell, like, a bajillion."

"A what?"

"Nevermind. Anyway," Tony swayed, "I should probably stop drinking. I want to show you your gift."

Without letting Stella reply, the billionaire hopped off the table they were both on and took Stella's hand, pulling her down and leading her away from the crowd. The rest of the Avengers saw the two heading over to the staircase and followed.

A woman tried to make a pass at Steve and he jumped nearly a foot in the air, blushed in embarrassment, and gently told her, "I'm sorry ma'am but I'm waiting for someone."

Natasha nearly winced at the sadness that laced his voice. Acting by Stella's example, she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder before nodding towards the staircase, indicating that they should continue following. Steve broke from his sad memory and nodded gratefully.

Tony abruptly stopped them outside of Stella's room which caused the pink haired woman to slam into the billionaire's back which made Bruce walk into and almost topple over Stella (which made him blush, of course).

"We're here," Tony announced.

"This is a door," Stella said dumbly.

"Yes," Tony deadpanned. "We got you a door."

"No, we didn't!" Steve ran up from the back of the group, alarmed that Tony would lie.

Tony blinked at him, "Sarcasm."

"Oh."

"Go inside!" Thor impatiently said to Stella. He was standing in anticipation as if he had also never seen what was behind the door before.

Stella sprang forward at his insistence and typed in her access code which, by the way, still baffled her. How did the little numbers know how to open a door? When the door opened, all questions left her mind and instead a squeal escaped her mouth.

"I think she likes it," Tony smiled over at Steve who smiled back proudly.

Stella took a tentative step into her new room and couldn't help the smile that burst onto her face. The bright, warm yellow glow of her newly painted walls illuminated her face as she spun around in the room, taking it all in. The ceiling, painted to look like like Nine Realms thanks to Thor's knowledge, twinkled and gleamed above as if she was really looking into space. Her bathtub still stood in all of its strange majesty where it had been before. A pile of presents, some horribly wrapped, were set off to the side.

She turned to thank the Avengers for brightening up her room and making it more bearable, but before she could something on the wall that hadn't been there previously caught her eye. Tony smirked to himself because although his vision was blurry and he was still swaying from side to side, he knew what she had seen.

The twisted, destroyed burgundy hood of a car was hung on the wall. It's deep red color contrasted against the bright sun-like yellow paint of the room. Attached to the center of the hood, fixed against the deep dents, was a picture. The photo was of the day Stella fell onto Tony's hood. The view was from the side, Stella sitting deep inside the hood with her legs dangling out and Tony staring at her in amazement mixed with fear. She was looking up at him, curiosity and apprehension clearly written across her face. Both stared at each other. Tony and Stella. Stella and Tony. The day it all started.

"Bystander video," Tony mumbled an explanation not so silently to Steve. The super soldier shushed him without looking his way. His eyes were locked onto Stella as she surveyed the rest of the mural of sorts.

Underneath the photo, painted in elegant black script, were the words "_Wisdom begins in wonder" _and the date that Stella crash landed on Earth. Her eyes watered, the tears spilling over, as she turned to her friends. She sniffled and smiled, a tiny cross between a sob and a laugh leaking out.

"Thank you," she squeaked.

"Socrates said that," Bruce said quietly to himself. He knew Stella would have no idea who the Greek philosopher was so he didn't bother to mention it any louder.

Tony shrugged, "You changed our lives forever, Supernova. And in some weird way _you're_ the wisest out of all of us. So...yep."

Stella launched herself at Tony, hugging him around the middle, and grabbed the back of his shirt in her hands. The billionaire found a strange comfort in her habitual shirt grabbing and realized he wouldn't mind if the pink haired woman did that for the rest of her life. Although he was clearly inebriated, Tony took the moment to cherish the hug being given to him. No one really showed him that they cared besides Pepper. It was nice - _really_ nice.

"I think I might be wiser," Fury's voice sounded from behind them, "and I'm saying ya'll better tell me what's going on and why Avengers HQ has hundreds of drunk people running around downstairs while there's a madman on the loose."

"It is Stella's name day!" Thor bellowed out to the director.

Fury was not having it, "I don't care _what_ day it is, Thor. Ya'll brought _drunk civilians_ into a _government facility_. What the hell were you thinking?" He directed the last question at Tony.

"Okay, first off," Tony blinked hard, "don't yell. I have a headache. Funny how that started the moment I heard your voice. And second, _relax_. Have a drink. You should try a Stargazer. They're out of this world. Literally." He turned and pointed at Stella, "New slogan."

"What the hell-"

Tony cut Fury off, "I put extra S.H.I.E.L.D agents around the entrances -hope you don't mind that I hacked your systems again, which are actually _my_ systems anyway- and I programmed the elevators to never go above this floor. Everyone working on the upper floors can take the stairs. It's exercise. Good for the soul and all that. I'm actually surprised it took you this long to find out about this. What were you and Agent Hill doi-"

"Round those people up and get them out of here _now_," Fury gritted his teeth and effectively silenced the room.

"We'll open the rest of your gifts later," Clint not so quietly said as he walked past.

The Avengers filed out (Tony wobbling and being supported by Steve) while Fury gave them all a hard stare. As Stella went to exit, Fury swung out his arm and stopped her from passing. She looked at him, wide eyed and afraid, before bringing her hands up to her abdomen. She started to nervously wring them out in front of her. Bruce stood at the doorway behind Fury, wanting to make sure Stella was alright.

"You better check inside your bathtub," he said sternly to her. Stella noticed a small gleam in his good eye as he spoke to her. This confused her.

"I am sorry?"

Fury gave her the _ghost_ of a ghost of a smile. "Happy birthday, Stella," he told her quietly with a nod. "Welcome to the family."

Stella blinked several times as Fury turned and swept out of the room. Bruce hurried in, a look of pure confusion gracing his handsome features.

"What just happened?!"

Stella looked at him blankly, "I am not sure at all."

They both peered over the side of her bathtub and saw a square, black box. Sharing a look with Bruce, Stella reached down and went to remove the lid.

"I hope it's not a bomb," Bruce mused.

Stella's hand stopped, "Is that a normal gift for someone on their day of birth?"

Bruce looked timid, "Well it's Fury so..."

They both stared at the box again as Stella finished removing the lid. Inside was a S.H.I.E.L.D issued uniform that matched the one Agent Hill wore. The deep blue material was sleek and shiny, unbroken and not yet battered. Laying on top of the suit was a laminated identification card with the S.H.I.E.L.D logo in the background. Typed over the top were Stella's credentials, her picture, and her status as a member of the Avengers Initiative.

"I belong," she whispered to herself, running her finger over the smooth surface of the card.

There was a note inside the box as well, which Stella reached for and unfolded. The only thing written on it were the words "_Every hero has a name. Welcome to the team, Starlight."_

Bruce smiled from next to her as he watched her pretty face react to her gift. She kept smiling and laughing quietly to herself, finally feeling like she truly belonged somewhere. He was amazed by her -her resilience, her patience, her kindness. She never lashed out at Fury, never. She didn't hate Tony after learning that his father created her. She never once defied any of them or betrayed them. She was perfect and wonderful and literally the best thing that had ever happened to Bruce _ever_.

On impulse, he grabbed her face and crashed his lips down onto hers. Stella let out a squeak due to being caught by surprise but found herself melting into his kiss. Warm tears trailed down her cheek and Bruce wiped them away with his thumbs. He pulled away, his nose gently pressed against hers, and stared into her eyes.

"I am so happy you crashed Tony's car."

She sniffled and nodded her head, her nose caressing his, "Me too."

A crashing from downstairs drew their attention away from each other and Bruce grabbed Stella's hand before pulling her out of the room. They reached the railing of the catwalk and looked down to see what was the matter. Stella grabbed onto the back of Bruce's shirt out of fear.

"I did _not_ invite you," they watched Tony stumbled around downstairs.

Owen Reece stood in the middle of the party, a large smirk on his face. The guests formed a circle around him, all completely silent. Stella felt her legs give out as his eyes locked onto hers. The way he looked at her made her feel so small, so inferior and feeble. Fury stood behind him, gun aimed and ready to fire, but the criminal continued to stare at the pink haired woman.

"Happy birthday," he grinned up at her.

Bruce started to push Stella behind him, his neck beginning to turn the slightest shade of green as Owen opened his mouth to speak again.

"Too bad it will be your last."

* * *

**Don't hate me! A lot of ya'll knew that was going to happen. Kudos to those who did :] Anywho, I apologize again for the wait. I'm in the process of moving into a new apartment and I still have the summer class every day AND I teach kids music two nights a week so I'm a pretty busy gal. But I love writing this story and ESPECIALLY love all of you guys, so don't ever worry that I'll abandon you!**

**I do hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It's always fun to write semi-relaxed, slightly chaotic, Avengers off-duty scenes. Especially when Tony is drunk and Thor is wearing several party hats. But now that the lightheartedness is over and Owen has appeared...ya'll might want to get a tissue box. I'M JUST SAYING! The upcoming chapters...well, you'll see ;]**

**As always, your reviews are phenomenal. I appreciate every single one of them to no end. I want you all to know that. Seriously, you guys are remarkable, amazing, stupendous, superb! So much love from me to you. **

**An update coming your way tomorrow. It's already written and everything. Woo hoo! Stay tuned! xx**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Marvel. Stella and the Plot are mine

**NOTE: **Just wanted to say before ya'll started reading that Mjolnir has the ability to shrink and Thor normally keeps it in his shirt. Just in case some of you didn't know that fact! I mention it in this chapter. Onward!

* * *

Owen had control of the room. There was no doubt about that. Even with Fury behind him and ready to shoot at the drop of a hat, Molecule Man was running the show now and everybody knew it.

Everybody except for the drunken billionaire named Tony Stark.

"Hey, you! Yeah, yeah, y-you," he slurred. "You Harry Potter wannabe. Why don't you get the hell out of here before I _Avada Kedavra_ your ass back to the hole you crawled out of. Sound good?"

"It _sounds_ like you need to sober _up_!" Owen flicked his hand out and sent a chair hurtling towards Tony. It slammed against his stomach and propelled him up into the air before dissolving and leaving him to free fall to the ground. Steve rushed forward and caught him in his arms, the force of the fall making Steve collapse onto one knee.

"This is not the pair of arms I imagined spending the night in," Tony mumbled as the wind returned to him. Steve unceremoniously dropped Tony onto the ground while rolling his eyes.

"Geez, hard to love, eh?" Tony brushed off his knees as he got to his feet. "You're really ruining the vibe here, Owen."

"Molecule Man," Owen sneered at him.

"Yeah...I'm gonna call you Owen," Tony pushed the criminal further.

"Mr. Stark," Fury advised, "stand down."

"Well I'd like to sit but _somebody_ dissolved my chair," he crossed his arms across his chest.

From up above on the catwalk, Stella placed her arm over Bruce's heart. She could feel the rapid beating and knew it was a matter of time before the green that was slowly spreading up his neck would envelop his whole body and Hulk would come out. She didn't want that to happen. Not yet, at least.

"Bruce, please," she said quietly. "I do not want to lose you yet. I am afraid," she said, looking down at Molecule Man taunting everybody.

She looked at him and his heart constricted at her fear.

"I need you," her voice cracked. "Stay."

Bruce took in three deep breaths and felt his heartbeat slow down. He reached over and trailed his pointer finger down Stella's cheek slowly. His arm dropped to his side and he nodded.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Come on down, birthday girl," Owen called up to the couple.

Stella grabbed the back of Bruce's shirt again as he slowly led them both around the catwalk and to the top of the stairs. Step by step, the pair made their way to the first level. Stella could feel her heart beating against her chest. If Bruce had not assured her previously that it would not happen, she would have thought it possible for it to burst right out. She quickly looked over at Bruce and noticed him trying very hard to not Hulk out and to keep his breathing even. Her heart warmed. He was trying for her.

Stella looked around at everyone, all the fearful faces of the crowd, and swallowed hard before speaking quietly, voice trembling, "Why have you come to ruin my day of birth party?"

"Well the world doesn't revolve around you, now does it?" He sneered. "You are a star but _not_ the Sun. You're not that important of a star. That's why you turned into a supernova and _died_. Nothing but a horrible, black hole of destruction, destroying everything in your path."

Stella bit her bottom lip to keep from crying, eyebrows furrowed, "You are a mean person."

Owen's top lip curled in distaste, "I guess I am."

"What are you planning to do?" Steve stepped forward, no longer shy and embarrassed but now in full on super soldier mode.

"_Planning_?" Owen asked incredulously. "You think I'm still _planning_? Oh no, Captain. The plan is done. It's already in motion. It's been _planned_."

Fury inched closer, gun still raised, "Explain yourself. You're in a building full of the government's most lethal-"

"And they're all trapped."

Fury pursed his lips at being cut off but asked a follow up question, "Trapped where?"

Owen shrugged, melting the ice sculpture into a puddle with the flick of a finger, "Here."

"How do you mean, Man of Molecules?" Thor asked, trying to rid himself of the party hats and obscene amount of confetti.

"Well, that wasn't really my _entire_ doing. You have Tony here to thank for half of it."

All eyes turned to Tony who held his hands up defensively, "Woah, woah, _woah_. What did I do? I'm not saying I didn't because when I have a few I can do some pretty outrageous things."

"It's cute, actually," Owen started pacing the crowd, inspecting every face, taunting some. "Tony Stark, trying to be responsible for once," he eyed the billionaire, "and he screws up again."

Tony's face hardened. Drunk or not drunk, comments like that didn't sit well with the philanthropist.

"You better make your damn point," Tony bit out.

Owen sent a pointer finger towards the ceiling and twirled it around, "This whole party. The heightened security. The pretty much _shut down_ elevators. You've trapped over four hundred people on the upper floors and you've taken nearly all of the S.H.I.E.L.D agents away from their posts. It's amazing what a man like myself can do when no one is watching."

Steve's face paled, "What have you done?"

Owen's face set into a scowl as he looked up at Steve from underneath hooded eyes, "What was necessary."

A woman screamed out from behind the crowd, "What _is_ that?!"

Natasha pushed through the crowd and ran over to the window. Her eyes widened in panic as she saw what was outside. A giant, translucent forcefield had been placed around the entirety of Stark Tower. They were trapped inside. All of them.

She pushed back to the inner circle and reported to Fury, "A forcefield, sir. We're-"

"Trapped," Fury finished with a low growl.

"What's your goal? What do you want with us?" Clint asked, pulling an arrow from his quiver. Even with a few drinks in him, Clint trusted his own aim and precision. What damage he could actually do, he was unsure of.

"With _you_?" Owen laughed, "I don't want you."

"Then why trap us here?" The archer notched the arrow but kept his bow low.

Owen cocked his head to the side, "To get you out of the way."

Natasha sent Clint a warning glance. There were civilians here -_drunk_ civilians. Firing was _not_ advisable. Clint got the hint and released the tension on his bowstring.

Steve eyed the civilians but spoke towards Owen, "Out of the way for what?"

Owen casually rolled his head over to face Steve, his eyes bored with them now, "The _real_ event."

Fury cocked his gun loudly, "Alright, enough! Just what the hell are you planning on doing, Mr. Reece?"

"MOLECULE MAN!" He yelled out. "It's Molecule Man."

Fury said nothing and Owen sighed.

"It's funny how one woman dying doesn't mean a thing to anybody. But an entire _island_ dying? Now _that_ is sure to cause some opposition. Why does it have to be that way? Why can't one woman matter?"

"What happened to your mother wasn't our fault," Steve held out his hand. "It wasn't yours either."

"It still doesn't help the fact that massive episodes of death are more important than one single death. Why? _Why_ doesn't that one person _MATTER_?"

Tony closed his eyes, "Headache. Please don't yell. We have a rule about yelling."

"No yelling before eleven a.m.," Stella said quietly.

"There it is."

"You can't take this island," Fury ignored Tony as per usual. "We've been monitoring the bridges into Manhattan ever since your incident at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge."

"What makes you think I want _this_ island?" Owen asked.

"Manhattan is the island that is _always_ destroyed by the enemy in the movies," Thor said. "What other island is there?"

Fury closed his eyes and lowered his gun, cursing quietly to himself, "Staten Island. There's _Staten_ Island."

Owen smiled evilly.

"Shit," Tony said.

"You've been monitoring the other bridges more than the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, haven't you?" Owen asked knowing full well the answer.

Fury's lips were set in an angry frown, "We didn't think that bridge was important. It was only leading to more of New York."

"Didn't think it was _important,_" Owen 'tutted' three times. "Shame on you, Director Fury. Shame on you. You should know that EVERYONE IS IMPORTANT."

Owen thrust his hands out as he yelled and the catwalk came crashing down. The guests all erupted into screams and made a mad, panicked dash towards the doors that led out of the Avengers' living area.

"Where are you going to go?" Owen called casually over the screaming. "You can't leave. You're trapped in here."

Thor pulled Mjolnir from his shirt and flew towards the doors, "Civilians! Do not fret. We will defeat this foe and return you home safely in due time. Please, be calm, Midgardians."

"Oh but they _do_ have reason to fret, you dolt," Owen insulted Thor. "I thought this through."

"What do you want?" Fury asked. He put his gun at his side, flicking the safety on. What the hell good was it going to do, anyway?

"Well I _want_ you to try and save Staten Island. I think it will be fun to watch. But my endgame is to punish them."

"Why?" Steve asked. "Why punish them? What did they do to you?"

Owen cocked his head to the side again, the look on his face showing that he thought they all should know the upcoming fact, "Staten Island is where my mother died. Why _wouldn't_ I want them to suffer?"

"Because they didn't do anything to her!" Clint yelled. "What is _wrong_ with you?!"

"THEY DIDN'T CARE," Owen boomed. "The hospital didn't _care_. My entire life nobody cares about me, and I can take that. I can take the names, the bullying, the feeling of being invisible to everyone. But you know what I can't take? The fact that my mother died and she didn't have to."

"Your mother died of cancer," Natasha said calmly, recalling information from his bio. "There was nothing to be done. The cancer had won."

"TREATMENTS! THERE WERE TREATMENTS." Tony winced at Owen's yelling. "There were treatments," the criminal repeated with an edge to his voice, "and they wouldn't give them to her."

"She couldn't pay for them," Fury told him. "You don't get what you can't afford. You know this, Mr. Reece."

Owen's eye twitched at Fury using his real name again. "Well then it only stands correctly that if Staten Island can't find the means to be saved," he stared Stella directly in the eyes, "then they die."

"After all," he continued in a condescending voice while looking at Fury, "you don't get what you can't afford. Hmmm?"

Bruce grabbed Stella's hand, trying to comfort her. Owen bit out a laugh.

"Well that's _adorable_, now isn't it? Two abominations finding love. Touching," he said.

"We are not abominations!" Stella yelled out and then looked at Bruce, not knowing what an abomination was, "Right?"

"Right," he breathed out to her, trying desperately not to Hulk out.

Stella, ignoring everyone in the room watching them, took Bruce's face between her hands and looked into his warm brown eyes. They were swimming with pent up rage and swirling with green. Any moment now and Bruce would snap.

"Stay," she whispered calmly. "Stay with me."

Bruce's eyes darted to the crowd.

"No," Stella said. "Do not think of them. Please, Bruce. Stay."

He squeezed his eyes shut and nodded, bringing one hand up to stroke her waist, "I'm trying."

"Disgusting," Owen fake gagged. He then shrugged, "Too bad you'll have to say goodbye soon."

Stella's head snapped towards him, "What? What are you going to do to him!?"

"Not him, _you_," he looked pointedly at her. "I'm going to destroy _you_."

The bout of pure sadness that flashed across her face almost made Owen feel bad. _Almost_.

"But I have not done anything to you," Stella said sadly. "Why...?" She trailed off, not understanding.

"You are a pathetic, naive, little girl," he snapped out. No, this woman would _not_ make him go soft. He would _not_ turn into the Owen he used to be. Molecule Man was here now and he was going to get his damn revenge whether this pink haired _infant_ liked it or not.

"I am thirty," Stella said lamely. "That is not little."

Owen ignored her. "I am going to capture Staten Island," he told the room, "and no one is going to stop me. Don't try, because I know you can't. You're stuck here anyway. Stella, on the other hand, has to choose. And this choice of hers determines whether the people live or die."

Stella's shoulders slumped, "What is my choice?"

"Life or death," Owen replied simply.

"I thought you wanted to destroy Staten Island?" Steve asked, arms crossed over his chest. He sent a worried glance over to Stella. "Make them pay because they 'couldn't afford to be saved'."

"Ah, yes," Owen smirked, "but her death will be payment enough."

Clint gave him a blank look, "But I thought you wanted to prove that thousands of deaths were more important than just one..."

"Or do I want to prove to you that one death _is_ as important as thousands?" Owen questioned back.

Clint blinked, "You're insane, do you know that?"

"So I've been told," Owen growled out. He looked back to Stella, "You can pick one of your _family_," he sneered at the word, "to accompany you on your hopeless endeavor to save Staten Island. I'll allow only two of you out. The rest, well, good luck trying to escape. You never will."

"And I must choose to die or to live?" Stella asked for clarity. "I do not..." she trailed off and let out a whimper. Why was this happening?

Owen shrugged and bobbed his head, "Or try to stop me. Oh, and for every hour you don't decide, I'll shrink the forcefield and destroy more and more of the island." He looked upwards, "And Stark Tower."

To demonstrate, he opened his palm and then clenched his fingers into a fist. From above, the top floor of Stark Tower, the one with the new balcony and observation room, collapsed. The forcefield shrank down and destroyed everything it touched. A loud rumble shook the entire building and the guests screamed out again, many bursting into tears.

"You can't kill us," Clint pointed out the fact that Owen had unconsciously handicapped himself by believing he couldn't disintegrate living organisms.

"But the debris can," Owen smirked.

"You are a monster," Stella said quietly, eyes filled to the brim with tears.

"And you're a dying star. Do not believe that someone such as yourself has a place among people like this. You don't belong anywhere. You're a weapon, a missile, a bomb waiting to happen. You're a fool if you think they're keeping you around because they actually _like_ your childlike stupidity."

Stella looked to Fury. "That is not true," she said, sending the director a small smile, "and I know it."

"Maybe you'll be the one to destroy Staten Island," he said in a low, menacing voice. "You never know. Now, who is coming with you?"

Just for fun, Owen dissolved Fury's gun while Stella thought about who to bring. The director rolled his eyes. This guy was a serious pain in his ass -more than Tony, and _that_ was saying something.

Bruce tugged on Stella's hand, "Take me."

"No," Stella said quickly, shaking her head and making some tears spill down her cheeks. "No, I can not."

"But the Big Guy can-"

"No, she's right," Tony said, sobering up with each passing second. "You and I gotta stay here."

"Why?" Bruce's eyes bulged. Did Tony really expect Bruce to stay at Stark Tower while Stella was out signing her death wish? Better yet, did Tony expect Bruce to _stay_ Bruce?

The Avengers and Fury all huddled up as Owen laughed behind them. He randomly dissolved and destroyed things around the room. The guests were horrified, moving back and fanning out away from the criminal. Some were filing out down the stair case and using the elevators to congregate onto the first floor of the tower.

"The particle generator is in the lab," Tony said. "You and I gotta figure out a way to reverse it."

"What will that do?" Clint asked.

Bruce sighed, "We might be able to take down the forcefield."

"And if we blast him with it," Tony said quietly and cocked his head towards Owen, "we might be able to stop him."

"_Might_," Natasha said. "Key word."

"We must try," Stella said. "If...if you can not," she looked at Tony and Bruce, "I know what I must do."

Bruce felt his face grow hot as the back of his eyes pricked, "No, Stell. You can't."

Tony shut his eyes, "This is not how I wanted your big day to go."

"We'll stop him, Stell," Steve told her, trying to be encouraging. In reality he had _no_ clue what to do. Owen was unbeatable. The only person who could hurt him was Stella and even then, to what end would that prove successful? How far could she spar with him? Could she even win?

"Thor," Stella said quietly. "I pick Thor."

"Me, Friend Stella?" Thor asked, taken aback. Although he was always in the mood to battle evil, he would have thought for sure that she would have picked Bruce, Tony, or even Steve before she picked him.

"You are a god," she said quietly.

Thor's face softened. "And it is much harder to harm me," he said softly.

Stella turned to the group, "I can not let you all get hurt. Thor has told me that he is nearly immortal. And Meol...Mole..Mah-"

"Mjolnir," Thor provided.

"Yes, _Mjolnir_ has healing powers. He will be most beneficial if I am to stop the Molecule Man."

"Battle strategizing," Steve said. "You learned that from me."

"Yes," Stella gave him a warm smile, "I did."

"I will accompany you, Stella, and together may we defeat this terrible foe," Thor placed a hand over his heart.

"Why don't we just stop him _now_?" Clint seethed.

"Too many casualties," Natasha said, referring to the guests.

"Like there aren't going to be any over on Staten Island?"

"And risk this forcefield staying up?" Fury challenged. "He's probably already got one over Staten Island, too. We need to ride this one out. Stella," he turned to her, "hold him off as long as possible. I'm going to get in touch with the Council. Do _not_ give up your life to him."

"We'll just let the Council give it up for her," Tony said with an edge laced around his sad voice.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Fury said pointedly with determination.

"Have we decided?" Owen called over his shoulder, preoccupied with rearranging the molecules of the Avengers' couch until it looked nothing like its normal form.

Thor stepped up, "I will aid Stella in stopping you, Man of Molecules."

Owen looked surprised, "Well that was unexpected. Very well, then. Ta-ta, Avengers. I wish you the best...but hope for the worst," he smirked and then sped out of the room.

"I hate when he does that," Clint said.

"That was abrupt," Tony mumbled to himself, still fuming about Stella's ultimatum.

"I must go change," Stella said, wiping her eyes and looking towards her room. The catwalk and stairs were destroyed. "Help?" She asked meekly.

Thor gently grabbed her waist and they both rose to her door. He helped her in and a few minutes later she returned at the doorway, dressed in her new uniform. Bruce swallowed when he saw her. She was stunning...and he was almost positive he was going to lose her tonight. The back of his eyes burned.

"You look good, kid," Tony said to her. "We're going to get you out of this."

"Owen is one man," Steve said. "We can stop him. We can save Staten Island."

Stella looked at all of them, one arm rubbing the bicep of the other arm. She had learned a great deal about winning and losing, life and death, in her time with the Avengers. She knew what tonight meant. Up from underneath sad, innocent eyes, she looked at them.

"Can you save me?"

Silence followed.

* * *

"Agent Hill," Fury busted into the S.H.I.E.L.D control room, his trench coat billowing out behind him. "Get me the Council."

"Sir," Agent Hill had seen everything unfold from the security cameras. "She's...Stella's going to die."

It was a lose/lose situation for them, Maria believed. Either Owen wouldn't win but Stella would have to die, or Owen _would_ win and Stella wouldn't die but thousands of others would. Maria was almost positive that if Stella couldn't save the humans she had waited so long to finally belong to, the pink haired woman would sacrifice herself so that they would live.

Fury's eye was narrowed, "I'm going to do everything I can to make sure she doesn't."

"You said she wouldn't."

"I said I didn't _intend_ to let her die, not that she wouldn't."

Maria nodded, remembering the conversation. She turned away from him and began tapping away on her computer.

"Has she left yet?" Maria asked Fury while her eyes scanned her screens.

"She's about to."

Maria turned to him and nodded at the security room.

"The Council is ready for you."

* * *

"Stella!"

Stella turned around in time for a head of strawberry blonde hair to slam into her face. Pepper's arms wrapped around Stella's middle quickly before pulling away and moving to her shoulders. The older woman squeezed them gently.

"Come back," Pepper said to her. "Come back, please. We need -_Tony_ needs you to come back."

Stella thought Pepper still looked beautiful even with the sadness in her eyes and the eerie glow of the forcefield hitting her face. They were outside now, Stella and Thor preparing to leave the new confines of Stark Tower.

"I will try my best, Pepper," Stella said in a wistful voice, already missing her home.

Pepper stepped back. Tony approached his girlfriend and took her hand.

"Stella," he said, barely able to get her name out. "I..."

Stella smiled at him, "Me too."

Tony's brown eyes glossed over as his heart broke. "Supernova, you get your ass back here alive, do you hear me? You...you come _back_," he said sternly, trying not to let out the fact that he felt like falling into a sopping mess onto the ground.

"You come back." He said again. "I don't care how you do it, but...you gotta...I need you to..._please_," he whispered the last part with his eyes closed. Tony Stark had never begged for anything in his life. Yet here he was, begging, _hoping_ that Stella would come back.

"I found my way back once before," she told him, trying to stay strong. "I will do it again."

Pepper squeezed Tony's hand as he nodded. The billionaire was unable to do anything else.

Steve came up and hugged Stella with such force that if she _hadn't_ been made from a star, she would have been squeezed to death. He pulled away and looked at her sadly.

"I've lost many friends in battle," he told her, "but if I lose you...I will never get over it. Bucky...Bucky's memory doesn't need a companion, remember that. Be safe out there, okay? Remember what I taught you."

"I will never forget it," she gave him a small smile.

Clint pushed Natasha forward, the female assassin not wanting to say goodbye. It wasn't because she didn't care, it was because she cared _too_ much. She couldn't let her emotions show, she just couldn't.

"Kick his ass," Clint told Stella. "Stop him, save the city, and come home. I still need to give you your birthday gift." He smiled at her sadly, "And I need to teach you how to shoot an arrow."

"I will kick his behind, Clint." Stella scrunched up her nose, "I think. One doesn't _actually_ kick someone's rear, do they?"

Everyone laughed lightly.

Clint shrugged, "If you want to, go wild. He deserves it."

She smiled wide, "Okay."

Stella turned to Natasha, "Natasha I-"

"If you don't come back I will track you down myself and kill you," the assassin said with wide, watery eyes. She swallowed hard and breathed in heavily.

Stella's eyes widened, "Um..."

Natasha lowered her eyes. "I don't have many friends," her words were quiet as she looked back over at Stella, "I don't want to lose the ones I have."

The pink haired woman nodded, "You are my friend as well, Natasha."

The assassin nodded spastically, the emotions threatening to peak through. She said hastily, "Clint and I will be monitoring you from S.H.I.E.L.D HQ. You won't be alone. We'll...we'll be with you the entire time."

Without waiting for Stella to respond, Natasha turned on her heel and briskly walked away and back into Stark Tower. Only Clint, who said one last quick goodbye and rushed to follow Natasha, would ever see the single tear that trailed down the Black Widow's cheek.

Steve shook his head, "I...I gotta go. I'll be with Fury. We're going to win, Stella."

She watched the super soldier practically zoom into the building.

"Stella," a soft voice from behind her said. She turned to see Bruce staring at her, hands in his pockets, undeniable sadness written across his face. "You don't have to go out there. We have four hours until the forcefield reaches the lab's level. Tony and I can figure out a way to stop-"

"People on the island will be hurt, Bruce," Stella's small frame leaned against his chest. His hands came out of his pockets to rest on her waist. He took one hand, trailed it up her body, and tangled it in her soft, pink hair. _Rain_.

"People in here will be hurt," he said in reference to the fact that if Stella was hurt...he didn't even want to think about it.

She sighed and rested her chin on his chest, breathing in the calming scent that was Bruce Banner. Warmth, coffee, and the smell of the pages of a new book. She didn't know how she picked those things out, but it was her favorite smell, because it was Bruce.

"There was a woman once," Bruce said quietly. "Her name was Betty. I...I never thought I'd ever get over her. I thought she was the one and I was just destined to be without her for my entire life. That I, uh, that I was going to be alone forever with this...this horrible burden on my shoulders."

Stella listened to his heartbeat beneath his shirt. It skipped a beat as his lips touched down to the top of her head.

He continued, his lips still buried in the scent of rain, "I haven't thought of her one single time since I met you. Not once. And you...you managed to get me to like him. I _like_ the Other Guy. And he likes you. You," his voice cracked and he let out a sad laugh, "You saved me, Stella."

He pressed his lips to her head, "And I wish I could do the same for you."

With her face still buried in his shirt Stella mumbled, "You already have."

Bruce pulled away and held her face between his large, warm hands. He gently brought his lips down to hers and kissed her in the the sweetest, most tender way he could. Midway through, Stella began to cry. Bruce pressed his lips harder against hers, his heart heavy inside his chest, eyebrows furrowed in emotional pain. He broke away, placed his forehead against hers, and let out a small, nearly quiet, dry sob.

"You'll come back?" He whispered.

Stella's eyes opened as the memory played in her mind of way back when she asked Steve and Bruce if they would come back to watch the movie with everyone after the events at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

"Yes," Stella said with determination, "I will come back."

"Good."

They let go of each other and Thor approached the couple. He gave Bruce a sympathetic look. The god knew too well what it felt like to promise someone to return. He also knew too well what it felt like to break that promise. He thought of Jane and how he would do anything to see her. When this was over, if they were victorious, he would find her. Seeing Bruce and Stella together pained him.

"We should go now," he said to her. "The Man of Molecules will be waiting and we must save the Staten Island."

Stella nodded and started pulling away from Bruce. Her hand slid from his slowly, their fingers hanging onto each other for as long as possible until there was air between them. Their arms dropped to their sides.

Stella walked backwards towards the forcefield as Bruce walked towards her. Their eyes stayed locked onto each other as they moved. Thor broke the barrier first, followed by Stella. She felt coldness wash over her as she passed through Owen's forcefield. The wind from outside whipped her hair and Bruce frowned. He couldn't smell rain. He pressed his hand against the translucent wall and it was solid beneath his skin. Two had passed through. No more would leave.

Stella held her hand up and matched it against Bruce's. He couldn't feel the warmth. Only the cold, stiff particles of the forcefield pressed against his palm. Stella dropped her hand, dropped her gaze, and turned away from him. Bruce watched Thor grab her by the waist, raise Mjolnir to the sky, and take off. The scientist watched them fly away until he couldn't see them anymore.

He was too stunned to move.

"Come on, Bruce," Tony said, not using a nickname for once. "Let's go to the lab. We gotta find a way to reverse this thing."

Bruce continued to watch the night sky, noticing that all the stars up there wouldn't amount to even a fraction of Stella. He shook his head sadly.

"I'm going to lose her."

* * *

"Director Fury, this is the second time within two years that you've had an issue on your hands. Do you need to be replaced?"

"Maybe _you_ need to be replaced, Councilman," Fury said angrily to a particular member.

"Operation: Starlight was created as a weapon," a woman on the World Security Council spoke. "This seems like the appropriate time to use her."

"She and Thor have left Stark Tower. They are currently en route to Staten Island."

"Ah, yes, the star and the god," one man said snidely. "We advised you that the Avengers Initiative was a bad idea."

"Well, Earth is still standing," Fury crossed his arms. "So you can tell me when it starts being a bad idea."

"Let me ask you a question, Director Fury. Why, exactly, did you call us?"

Fury pursed his lips, "I was hoping you could do something. A member of my team is about to sacrifice herself. You would think ya'll would have the decency to _try_ to do something about that."

"She's not human to us, Director. We don't care what happens to her."

"Well _I_ do," he bit out. "You must be able to send me something, _anything_, that will help defeat Owen Reece."

"We did," the woman spoke. "We let you keep Operation: Starlight. _That_ will help you defeat him."

"You wanted to use her as a 'be all end all' in case of an invasion."

One member actually _shrugged_, "Staten Island isn't as big as Manhattan. With the forcefield surrounding them, Operation: Starlight can detonate, create a black hole, suck everyone including Mr. Reece into the void, and the forcefield will prevent its spread. Simple."

"Simple?" Fury was seething. "_Simple?_ Let me tell you something, _Councilmen_. That _thing_ trying to save our asses is a human being. It's a _she_. And I am not going to stand here and listen to you throw her life around like it's nothing. She is one person but she-" He stopped mid sentence, a burst of insight appearing before him.

"She's one person," he said to himself. "She's one person and she _matters_. That's it!"

Fury turned to briskly walk out of the room when a Council member called him back, "If you walk out that door like last time, you will be signing your own resignation."

"Fine," Fury almost laughed at them. "See how far this organization gets without me. Be my guest."

"You would jeopardize yourself for Operation: Starlight?"

"Howard Stark believed in her. His son believes in her. So do I," he told them.

Before he walked out the door he turned back to the Council. He gave them a pointed look, smirked, and thought of the pink haired woman that he swore he would never let inside.

"And her _name_ is Stella."

* * *

**I...yep. That happened. Longest chapter to date though! Hehe, yay?**

**Okay so that's your second update :] I'm going to try my absolute hardest to get another one out this weekend but I'm making no promises! I can say for certain that I will not be able to update next week. I'm legitimately going from seven in the morning until ten at night without any time for breathing, basically. But this weekend i will try for you!**

**I hope you liked, or survived, this chapter. My heart actually broke while writing it but I'm so excited for you guys to see what's in store for everyone. Eeeep!**

**Also, throwing out this idea. How would everyone feel about a mini-series of one-shots about Stella learning to be human? Like the sex talk, using the bathroom, the Avengers redecorating her room? Just a thought. Let me know**

**Keep those fabulous reviews coming! I love them so much and appreciate them to no end! Try not to hate me for all of the pain I put the Avengers through in this chapter! Stay tuned! xx**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Marvel. Stella and the plot are mine.

* * *

**The First Hour**.

Thor set Stella and himself down on the Goethals Bridge. In front of them was the huge, towering bubble of a forcefield that Owen had placed around the island. It was tall, intimidating, and translucent. It looked like a white film had risen up and covered the island.

"Which bridge is this?" Stella asked quietly.

"I am unsure, but it is one to which we have not yet been," Thor replied. "I thought it best not to go back to the same bridge as before."

Stella nodded, looking up at the foreboding encasement in front of them. She turned around and stared longingly in the direction of Stark Tower. It stood far in the distance, the gleaming letters barely recognizable underneath the white barrier. The glow of the forcefield was eerie and New York City was oddly silent. Stella did not like this. She did not like that this was happening.

"We must go," Thor told her. He felt great sympathy for the tiny pink haired woman before him. She had not chosen such a path. All she wanted was to be with her friends, her family. She had not wanted to be given such a responsibility, nay, such a _burden_.

The god gently took hold of her elbow and led her down the bridge. The two walked in silence. There was not a soul in sight. Not a single car was on the bridge. Emptiness surrounded them.

"Where is everyone?" Stella whispered, looking around with wide, fearful eyes.

"I do not wish to know the answer," Thor shook his head. "It must not be a pleasant one."

They reached the end of the bridge and Thor lifted a hand to the forcefield. It passed through with ease and the Asgardian shivered as a chill went down his spine. This did not give him a welcoming feeling at all.

He swallowed and pulled his shoulders back, standing tall, "Let us pass through, Friend Stella."

Together they walked through the barrier. It '_bloooped' _around them as it let them enter, acting like a giant globe of gelatin. Immediately afterwards it retained a solid look. Two go in, none come out. Stella whimpered.

"Do not be afraid," Thor told her. "He is but a man."

"A man who wishes to see me dead." Stella wrung her hands together. She missed Bruce.

"He may wish all he like but it shall not be granted. You will not perish tonight."

Stella gave her friend a half smile, "Thank you, Thor."

"Anytime," he gave her a large smile.

They took a few steps forward into the strangely desolate Staten Island before a loud rumble sounded behind them. They whipped around in time to see the Goethals Bridge collapse behind them. The concrete split and broke, pieces falling into the Arthur Kill strait. All around the island the bridges leading from Manhattan and New Jersey were destroyed. The Bayonne, Verrazano-Narrows, and Outerbridge Crossing bridges all fell into the murky waters below them. The civilians of Staten Island were _seriously_ trapped inside, wherever they were.

Stella and Thor were silent, completely stunned, before Stella spoke.

"This is not good."

"No," Thor shook his head with a look of trepidation on his face, "it truly is not."

* * *

Bruce slammed his fist against the screen he was looking at.

"Hey! Hey!" Tony rushed over, "Bruce, calm down."

"I can't!" Bruce roared. His shoulders then sunk, his body collapsing onto his elbows as they fell onto his desk. He put his head in his hands.

"I can't," he repeated in defeat. "She's out there."

"You have to," Tony said gently. "It's the only way to get her back here. I need you to stay with me. Do it for her. Do it for Stella."

Bruce tightly closed his eyes, the memory of less than an hour ago playing in his mind.

_Stella, ignoring everyone in the room watching, took Bruce's face between her hands and looked into his warm brown eyes. They were swimming with pent up rage and swirling with green. Any moment now, Bruce would snap._

"_Stay," she whispered calmly. "Stay with me."_

_Bruce's eyes darted to the crowd._

"_No," Stella said. "Do not think of them. Please, Bruce. Stay."_

_He squeezed his eyes shut and nodded, bringing one hand up to stroke her waist, "I'm trying."_

"I'm trying," Bruce said to Tony. "I'm trying."

"Well, try harder," Tony ordered, twirling a screwdriver around between his fingers. "We gotta solve this thing or else we're all doomed. And I don't like being doomed."

"I'm used to it," Bruce mumbled.

"Chin up, buttercup," Tony tapped Bruce on the shoulder with his screwdriver. "We'll get through this. We beat the Chitauri. We can beat this lab rat on steroids."

Bruce turned to Tony.

"We only beat the Chitauri because Coulson died."

Tony was silent. He didn't want to believe what Bruce had said was true.

He didn't want to, but he did.

* * *

Maria watched with crossed arms as Fury worked.

"Sir, what exactly are you trying to do?" She asked as she watched his screen blink red for the fifth time.

Fury set his hands down on his desk with his elbows locked and pressed his chin to his chest, taking in a huge breath and letting it out, "I'm trying to get Stella's communicator online."

"Why isn't it working?" Maria frowned and stepped forward.

"I have no idea," Fury replied. "The signal keeps jamming. I need to tell her how to beat Molecule Man."

"You figured it out?" Maria asked, hands poised over the keyboard with a surprised look on her face.

"I think so."

Maria started typing.

"His forcefield must be interfering with the connection," she said. "Not to mention the fact that _two_ barriers separate us from Stella and Thor instead of only one."

Fury's face set into a hard stare, "If we don't figure out a way to reach them, Stella is going to die tonight. I'm sure of it."

Maria typed faster.

* * *

Thor peered around the corner of a building. Finding nothing, he signaled for Stella to come forward.

"It has been quite some time since we came through the white wall." He looked puzzled. "Surely we should have seen him by now."

"Or _somebody_," Stella said, looking around with frightened eyes. She was scared out of her wits. She wasn't brave like Thor or Tony or Steve. She frowned. _Or_ Clint or Natasha. Come to think of it, she wasn't brave at all. At least Bruce had an alter ego who wasn't afraid of anything that the scientist could rely on when things were too scary. Stella? She had nothing.

"I can not do this," she stopped in her tracks. "I am unable to continue."

Thor looked back at her, "What has happened?"

"I am afraid," Stella said, tears coming to her eyes. "Heroes should not be afraid."

She looked to the ground and shuffled her feet, flapping her arms against her sides in a helpless motion.

"I am not a hero."

Thor came forward and reached out to her, "Friend Stella, but you are a her-_ahhhhhh!"_

Stella snapped her head up in time to see Thor fly through the air, the white arc of Molecule Man's energy blast pushing into the god's stomach. He landed with a _'thump'_ a few yards away.

The pink haired woman looked around, scared beyond belief. She turned in every direction searching for Molecule Man but could not see him. Thor rolled over with a groan as Stella's eyes darted all around. Her breathing became heavy and her hands started to shake. She was terrified.

"_Boo_," a voice whispered in her ear before she was forced upwards by an unseen force. She flew through the air and toppled over onto Thor, who had just managed to get to his knees. They jumbled together in a heap on the ground.

Stella groaned and held her head, "Thor? Are you harmed?"

"Only my spirits, my friend. Only my spirits. This foe is using the element of surprise. He is a coward!" Thor roared the last sentence out. He helped Stella to her feet and gripped Mjolnir firmly in his hand. This would end tonight.

"I AM NOT A COWARD!" A yell came from their right and a car smashed into them. Thor fell into Stella, taking the brunt of the blow from the car, but Stella landed first, taking on the weight of the Asgardian _and_ the heavy vehicle. She felt the air whoosh from her lungs and her vision blurred.

Thor threw the car off of them and charged forward, forgetting to help up Stella. His mind was focused on the battle, on defeating Molecule Man.

"Show yourself, coward!" He bellowed out to the night. Eerie silence answered him.

Stella got to her feet, holding her stomach and feeling it heal beneath her hand, "I do not like this."

An almost inaudible noise sounded from her left and she squeaked before throwing a starbolt in its direction. The silver orb flew out, blue sparks crackling around it, and slammed into something. Owen rolled out onto the street. He held his arm and hissed in pain.

"I forgot you could hear better than a human," he said, getting to his feet. "Just goes to show how much you don't belong."

Stella's jaw set, "Do not speak that way. I _do_ belong."

Owen snarled and rasped out, "Lies," before vanishing again.

"He is much too fast," Thor thought out loud. "But not for a mighty Asgardian."

Thor held out Mjolnir and travelled at lightning fast speed in the direction he heard Owen go. His super hearing kept a close monitor on where the criminal had fled to.

Stella gulped. She was alone.

"Bruce," she whimpered out, knowing full well that he couldn't hear her but desperately wishing that he could.

* * *

"Damnit!" Maria pushed the keyboard away from her. She put her head in her hands and messed up her neat hairdo. It didn't even matter anymore. They were all screwed.

"I can't get it to connect, sir," she said in defeat.

Fury, who had been pacing the floor so much that there was sure to be an indent, turned to her. He had a look that Maria very seldom saw. Beneath the determined, hard-ass, no-nonsense look he always wore, there was another emotion.

_Fear._

Maria watched him walk towards the door, "Where are you going?"

He didn't bother to turn around.

"We need someone who is good at hacking things."

* * *

Steve was pacing around on the main lobby of Stark Tower. Hundreds of guests were huddled in groups all around him. Some were sitting on the floor, some were standing, and some were looking out the windows, but everyone had the same expression: They were all scared out of their minds.

Normal people couldn't understand the things that people like Steve or Clint or Natasha had seen. They didn't _know_ what it was like to transform into a giant green monster like Bruce knew. It was impossible for them to know how it felt to have an arc reactor imbedded into their chest be the only thing keeping them alive the way Tony knew. Likewise, how could they possibly understand what it was like to come to this planet and be completely and utterly clueless? Stella knew that all too well. Thor knew as well.

These people, Steve realized, didn't know what _true_ horrors existed in the world. Now that they were seeing it (_again, _after the Chitauri incident), they were baffled, scared, _and_ they were stuck inside a giant forcefield. It was possible that some people didn't even think the war with the Chitauri even happened at all because of how, well, _alien _it was.

_Wow,_ Steve thought, _I never thought I would be thankful for all of the terrible things I've seen in my life._

He looked over to Clint and Natasha. The two assassins were keeping an eye on the crowd, making sure everyone stayed as calm as possible given the situation. Steve could see the internal conflict raging behind Natasha's eyes. The captain had become quite good at reading people after the first couple of times he was beat up back before the experiment and the war. He knew when a person was hurting. He also knew on whom that person would take out the pain. Usually it was Steve, but this time? This time he had a feeling it would be Clint.

Steve closed his eyes. The sight made him think of Peggy. He wished more than anything that she was here to take out her anger on him. Not that she would (he was counting the time she shot at him as _not his fault_), but if she _needed_ to, Steve would gladly volunteer. He would have done anything for her.

The super soldier sighed and did a sweep across the room once more. Fury had told him to stay down here rather than be up in the control room with himself and Agent Hill, but Steve had an uneasy feeling in his stomach. Something wasn't quite right. He signaled to Natasha that he was going to go upstairs. Quickly leaving the area, he let out a frustrated breath.

They had won once before...didn't that lessen their chances of winning again?

* * *

"Mr. Stark," Fury burst into the room and startled Bruce. Tony, however, didn't seem phased.

"Sort of busy right now," he said without looking up from the particle generator. "Trying to save the planet _again_."

"That's why I'm here."

"I'm sorry," Tony looked up and pointed his screwdriver, "that's why _you're_ here? Because last time I checked _I_ was the one who knew where Loki was gonna open the portal, _I_ was the one who led the Kevlar Worm from Hell on a wild goose chase around the city, and _I_ was the one who took a _nuclear bomb_ into _outer space_. AND I'm pretty sure I died for, like, two minutes. So maybe you should leave the world saving to _me_."

"I revived you," Bruce mumbled dejectedly as he sulked in the corner and read over charts for the generator.

"Mr. Stark, I know you're upset but-"

"You're damn right I'm upset! Stella is out there with Thor the Shakespeare God probably scared out of her mind and _who knows what_ is happening to her while, in the damn meantime, we're sitting here on our asses and Bruce and I are trying to reverse something which we both know is impossible! So, I'm sorry that I'm not eager to trade witty comments with you today -but we know I'd win so why bother?- but I'm just not ready to say goodbye to her yet. So yeah, I'm upset. Am I fired, _boss_?"

Fury had semi-patiently waited for Tony to finish, "No, you're hired, actually."

"What." Tony stated without emotion.

"Gonna let you come on up to the big leagues, Mr. Stark," Fury said with a smirk. On the inside, however, the director was extremely anxious. He _really_ needed to get the communications online. _Stat_.

"Honey, I own the team," Tony said as he tossed his screwdriver over at Bruce. The shy scientist fumbled with it and lost control of the papers he was holding. He caught the tool but the sheets scattered all around his feet. Bruce sighed. _I give up_.

"Dr. Banner," Fury said, "will you be alright?"

Bruce was tempted to say '_no, not even a little bit,'_ but he shrugged his shoulders instead and said, "I'll manage."

"Good," Fury nodded. "I'll send up Captain Rogers just in case."

"In case what? We discover the generator can only be reversed using outdated pop culture references?" Tony was heading for the door, anxious as well, but couldn't resist the quip.

"That's oka-"

Bruce was cut off by a loud crash and an intense shaking that vibrated throughout the entire building. A single crack started to form on the ceiling above their heads and screaming from down below met their ears. From above, they could hear things crashing and falling, breaking and shattering.

They all looked at each other and Tony made a bee-line for the door.

"Hurry up! We only have three hours before this all goes to Hell!"

"We're already there," Fury mumbled as he rushed out after him.

Bruce stood in the middle of the now deserted room and felt the screwdriver slide out of his hand. He stared at the particle generator blankly. His shoulders slumped and right then he felt very, very alone.

"Stella," he whispered to himself, knowing full well that she couldn't hear him but desperately wishing that she could.

* * *

**I survived! I'm back. After a long, horribly tiring week, I'm back :] Thank you for all the support and well wishes for this week! That meant a whole lot to me :D**

**There will be more action in the next three hours that are left for the Avengers to figure out how to stop Molecule Man. Fury seems to know what's up but will they get the communications back online? We'll have to wait and find out! Also, more Clint and Natasha in the next few chappies as well. Yay! And of course more angst. Lots and lots of angst. Sorry, hehe.**

**As always, your reviews keep me going and I love every single one of them! I'm so sorry I haven't been able to personally reply to the ones from the past few chapters like I usually do! Life has been hectic and I keep forgetting. But each and every one of you should know how incredibly grateful I am for all of them! They are so wonderful and thoughtful and extremely positive. I love them! Thank you again :]**

**Stay tuned for much more!**

******IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE DARK KNIGHT RISES DO NOT READ ON BECAUSE THERE IS A TEENY SPOILER BELOW******

I just need to say that it has been my plan since the very beginning (before TDKR came out or even had multiple trailers available) to destroy the bridges leading into Staten Island. I know most of you probably didn't think anything of it, but I just wanted to say that I in no way intended to copy what Bane did to Gotham. When I saw the movie (the first time :P) I watched the scene and went, "Oh shit. That's going to happen in my story. DAMNIT, NOLAN." No lie. So, anyway, just wanted to say that! Onward, my lovelies!


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Marvel :[ Only Stella and the plot are mine.

* * *

**The Second Hour.**

Tony rubbed his eyes tiredly, eventually running his hands over his entire face. He messed up his hair and widened his eyes to try to rid them of the bleariness. The genius sighed.

"I..." he frowned and didn't continue his sentence but instead let out a huff.

Fury leaned in and placed his hands on the desk, "What is it, Mr. Stark?"

Tony's jaw clenched and unclenched as he tried to answer the director. He cast his eyes down and they quivered slightly. The gleam from the computer's glow masked the fact that his eyes were beginning to water. There was a slight shine to them as he focused his attention on his fists which were tightly balled on either side of the keyboard.

"Mr. Stark," Fury said more forcefully. "What. is. _it_?" He pronounced each word pointedly.

"I can't," Tony whispered so softly that Fury strained to hear him.

"What was that?"

Tony swallowed, shook out his fists, and tried typing in some equations again. The screen blinked red.

Fury watched Tony swivel in his chair. He refused to look the director in the eye and tried to keep his confident demeanor. Almost immediately though, he fell back in his chair and shook his head.

"I can't do it."

Fury crossed his arms and stood to his full height. He took in a deep breath, closing his eyes, and let it out in a steady stream. He nodded to himself, his eyes still closed.

"Well, that's it then," he said finally.

Tony's eyes snapped up, "That's it? What, we're just going to sit here and let Stella be killed by that... that _pissed off_ mama's boy?"

"What else do you propose we do, Mr. Stark? We can't get past Molecule Man's barriers. Can't reach out to help them. Now unless you have a suit that can pass through a forcefield, we're out of options."

Tony slumped backwards in his seat. Fury was right. Stella was doomed.

Fury closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and pressed a comm. button by Tony's clenched fist. The genius didn't move as the director leaned over him. He was too angry, too emotional, to even think about leaving his seat or inching away.

"Dr. Banner, do you copy?" Fury asked into the microphone.

Bruce's voice channelled back, "_Yes, director, I'm here. What's happening down there?_"

There were sparking sounds in the background of his answer which made Fury close his eyes in sadness again. Bruce was still working on the generator. He was still trying, trying to save her.

"We can't get communications online, Dr. Banner."

The sparking stopped, "_You...Tony can't...what?_" He didn't understand. Bruce was baffled. Tony, _Tony Stark_, couldn't...he couldn't save her?

Tony lunged for the intercom and pressed his finger down onto the button, "Bruce, I'm...I tried, man. I'm so...Bruce, I tried."

"_YOU DIDN'T!_" Bruce's pained scream hollered back and there was commotion from the other end.

"_Bruce! Calm down!_" Steve's voice yelled in the background. The super soldier had been sent up to aid Bruce but he had actually just been standing there confused for the better part of an hour. Now he was dealing with Bruce possibly hulking out in a lab full of expensive and..._explosive _equipment.

"Bruce!" Tony yelled through the intercom in a panic, "Bruce, breathe. Think about what you're about to do. You _can not_ destroy that generator! It's our only chance. Bruce! Listen to me! It's our only chance of saving her!"

Up in the lab, Steve watched terrified as Bruce writhed on the ground. The scientist was holding his head and groaning, gritting his teeth as he desperately tried not to transform.

"_Stay," she whispered calmly. "Stay with me."_

Bruce slumped over on the ground, his heart rate slowing. He panted heavily as her voice echoed around in his head. _Stay,_ she commanded. _Stay with me_.

"I'll stay," he whispered to himself. He looked up at the particle generator with determination, "I'll stay."

He gripped the edge of the worktable firmly as he hoisted himself up to a standing position. He shot Steve a look that signaled that he would be alright for the moment before turning back to the particle generator. Steve watched him begin to enter codes on the clear, hanging computer screen above the device. The captain sighed in relief before pressing the comm. button.

"We're alright up here," he clarified for them. "Tony, are you _sure_ you can't-"

"_I tried, Steve_," Tony cut the captain off. "_I tried_."

"_We can't break the barrier_," Fury's voice explained again.

Steve sighed, "Well, can't we...tunnel under the ground or something?" At this point Steve would try anything. He chanced a look at the clock on the computer near him. The second hour was almost up.

"_If only it was that easy, Cap," _Fury sounded tired and out of ideas. He _was_ tired and out of ideas.

"_It is,"_ Tony said in astonishment. "_It is that easy! Steve, I could kiss you right now._"

There was a pep in Tony's voice that made Steve's eyebrows furrow, "Don't...do that. I wasn't serious..."

"_I know you weren't. Your idea is time consuming and...dirty. But!" _The billionaire exclaimed in excitement, "_Stark Tower is the only completely green building in the city-"_

There was shuffling on Fury and Tony's end as the director cut off the philanthropist, "_We know, Mr. Stark. You've reminded us of this countless times. What does this have to do with reaching Stella and Thor?"_

Steve kept his finger on the intercom button while his face remained confused. Were they really going to tunnel under the forcefield? That would take...a really long time. Bruce stopped tinkering with the machine and looked over.

"_The energy supply comes from pipes that are underwater. I placed a computerized clamp over one of them to light up and power the first tower. I re-used the pipe for this new one. Get where I'm going with this?"_

"_No..."_ Fury said at the same time Steve replied, "Not really..." while Bruce replied, "Yes!"

Tony rolled his eyes as he gathered some supplies in his arms and raced towards the door with a huge armful, "Of course _you_ don't, Steve."

Tony could practically hear Steve roll his eyes, "_Thanks..."_

"Don't mention it," Tony replied distractedly. "Fury, you coming or do I need to send out an engraved invitation? In case you haven't noticed, we don't have time for formalities. And my handwriting isn't that good..."

"Where the hell are we going?" Fury still had his hand on the intercom.

Tony smirked, "To the basement."

From up in the lab, Bruce smiled. There was still hope.

* * *

"How much longer do you think they'll be calm?" Clint spoke softly to Natasha as he stood next to her, surveying the restless crowd with crossed arms.

"Not much longer, I don't think," Natasha said without emotion. She was looking out into the distance at the bubble surrounding Staten Island. The glow of the forcefield was just visible over the top of the tall buildings of Manhattan.

"How much longer will _you_ be calm?" The archer wondered.

"I'm not calm, Clint," she slid her eyes over to meet his and he could see the turmoil rushing around inside of them.

"Coulda' fooled me," he told her in his deep voice.

"Done it before," she said with a smirk. The smirk didn't take over her entire face like it usually did, creasing the sides of her eyes and lighting them up with her usual mischievous glint. This time there was only a ghost of a smirk on the sides of her lips. They quirked upwards only slightly.

"You're really not calm," he stated. He unfolded his arms but let them hang at his sides. He didn't know what to do with them.

Natasha averted her eyes back to the crowd, "No, no I'm not."

"Why?" He asked quietly, his eyes focused on her while hers watched over the trapped civilians.

She didn't answer for a long while. Clint raised his arm and clasped his fingers around her wrist. His skin was warm against hers and she closed her eyes. He released her wrist almost as soon as he had taken hold of it and her skin became cold again. She briefly looked down at the place where his hand had been before she looked up to meet his gaze.

"I don't have many friends," she said what she she had told Stella before the pink haired woman had left with Thor.

Clint held her gaze as she continued.

"I never have. My entire life has been this," she gestured to the situation around them. "There's no time to make friends when you're lying to people...or killing them."

A man in the crowd brought his arm up to put it around a woman who had begun to cry. Natasha's lips twitched wistfully.

"There's no time for _that_ either," she indicated the couple by inclining her head towards them. Clint looked over and his eyes fell.

"When Stella came to us I thought she would endanger us all and...I was afraid of her." She saw Clint give her a look and she smiled slightly, "I _am_ afraid of things, you know. There's just a difference between being paralyzed by your fear and pushing through it."

"I know," Clint told her softly. "I've seen you push through it," he added, referring to her initial fear of The Hulk.

Natasha took a deep breath and swallowed before continuing, "Now, I'm afraid _for_ her. Most people see me as an assassin, a killing machine. They can't see me, Natasha, without also seeing the Black Widow. Stella can. She can _see_ me, Clint. She can see us all."

"She wants to be like us," she locked eyes with Clint. "No one has ever wanted to be like me."

Clint didn't know what to say so instead he squeezed her wrist again to show her that he was there for her, that he would _always_ be there for her. He dropped his hand but kept it close to hers. Their knuckles brushed together but neither pulled back.

"She's my friend," Natasha said softly. "You're all my friends."

"You won't lose her," he told her, the skin of his hand tingling at the touch of hers. "You won't lose any of us."

Natasha looked at Clint, her fingers flexing to touch his just a _bit_ more. The back of her hand was almost completely pressed again the back of his. She smiled at him softly and he returned the gesture.

"And there _is_ time for everything," he said softly to her.

She smiled and bit her lip, returning her gaze to the crowd.

"Good."

* * *

Fury stood back and watched Tony work. They were down in the basement, surrounded by pipes and circuit boards, various wires and machines. The gentle whirring sounds of the generators filled the silence of the room.

Fury glance down at his watch, "How much longer is this going to take? We're almost into the third hour."

Tony's head was buried in a circuit board, the door hanging open and covering his upper body from view, "Hold your one eyed horses. Perfection takes time. That's why I stayed in the womb for an extra week."

"Is that why your head is so big?"

"Hey now," Tony chuckled to himself before a wire sparked him, "_Ow,_ sucker. Okay, one more tweak should...yes!"

Fury leaned forward, "Mr. Stark? Did you do it?"

Tony emerged from the depths of the power box and gave Fury a large smile.

"We're bringing my girl home!"

Fury quickly yanked out his walkie-talkie and spun the dial to the frequency he wanted. It crackled to life and there was overpowering static for a minute before the white noise leveled out.

"Hello? Thor, do you read me? Are you there? Thor?" Fury held the device close to his mouth.

There was only static for a few painstaking seconds before, "_How do I...is this how I use this device? Director Fury?"_

Tony sighed to himself in relief, "Thank God...or...Odin, or whatever." He slumped against the circuit board and wiped his brow with the back of his hand.

"Thor, are you with Stella?" Fury asked over the static.

"_Negative, director. I lost her when I pursued Molecule Man."_

"You left her alone?!" Tony shrieked.

"Where is she, Thor?" Fury demanded.

"_I know not where Friend Stella is, director. I apologize."_

"Thor, I need you to find her and get her to the address that I am going to give you. Do you understand me?"

"_Aye, I understand. Give me the location."_

Fury passed on the address.

"_I will find the pink haired woman and bring her ther-AAAHHHHSDGAJL!"_

"Thor?" Fury's eyes went wide. "Thor, do you copy? THOR?"

The god did not answer.

Stark Tower gave a terrible rumble as the next floor was demolished. Debris rained down on Bruce and Steve in the lab and the guests in the lobby started to panic again. Natasha and Clint rushed out into the crowd to calm them all down, their hands separating from each other. Fury and Tony struggled to keep their balance in the basement as the building shook and trembled.

Bruce and Steve shared a look at the same time as Fury and Tony. Natasha and Clint locked eyes from across the crowd of screaming civilians.

The second hour was over.

* * *

**I apologize for the long wait. My last week of class was terrible and I was so busy (but I passed my class with flying colors! Hoorah!). I also just moved into a new apartment and the cable/internet guy didn't come until yesterday. I also had a bit of a block as to how I wanted to fill in these hours exactly. But no worries, after hating where this was going I finally got myself on track and now I love it again. Woo!**

**The next hour is written and will be up right after this one :] A double feature since I made y'all wait so damn long.**

**I feel like I sound like a broken record, but I really can't stress enough how thankful I am for all of your reviews. I never imagined I'd get so many! I love them all so much. Your support means the world, nay, the cosmos to me! Thank you all so incredibly much :]**

**Stay tuned! xx Nikki**


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Marvel. Stella and the plot are mine.

* * *

**The Third Hour.**

Stella wandered the streets of Staten Island by herself. There was not a soul in sight and that worried her deeply. Where were all the people? Where had they gone? She had begun to fear the worst.

Every noise startled her. The sighing and setting of a building, the flicker of a street lamp. Everything was infinitely more terrifying when she was alone than if Thor had been with her. Her fear only intensified her feeling of inferiority, that she wasn't a hero, that she would _fail_.

After walking for what felt like hours, she saw a splash of red in the distance. The fabric billowed out from behind an overturned car and a familiar object rested not far from it.

"Thor!" Stella yelled out as she broke out into a run and rushed over to the fallen god. She fell to her knees and cradled his head in her hands. "Thor! Thor, please wake up."

"_Ugggghhh_," the god groaned out. "I am awake. I am...by Odin's beard my head is in great pain."

"What happened?" Stella asked, her eyes shifting around constantly as her heart rate sped up. She did not like staying in one place for too long.

Thor sat up with Stella's help. "That _fiend_," he began. "I had the upper hand and then he used Mjolnir against me. Gods," he rubbed his head, "is this what my foes feel like when they are met with my mighty hammer?"

Stella eyed the enchanted object laying by them, "I do not doubt it."

"Stella," Thor grabbed her arm, "you must listen to me now. Fury contacted me and gave me an address."

Stella's eyes lit up, "Fury called?!"

"Yes," Thor nodded. "He wanted me to take you to-"

"FOUND YOU!" A voice screamed out as something swooped down and knocked Stella over and across the street. She skidded along the asphalt and the skin along her forearm and elbow tore open. She yelled out in pain as she rolled and slammed into the door of a car. The alarm started blaring out at her and she held her hands to her ears as silver blood trickled down her arm and onto the ground.

"_Stella? Stella?!"_

Stella held her head in pain still and mumbled, "T-tony?"

"_Yeah, it's me, Supernova. Listen, you can beat him. We need you to get to this address. Can you do that for me? For us?"_ He told her the address and directions.

Molecule Man appeared on the sidewalk and started walking towards her. She backed up into the car even further. From the corner of her eye she could see the hood hanging off due to the force of her impact. She smiled at the memory of a car hood and brought her non injured hand up to reach for it.

"_Supernova? Are you there?"_

"Your friends can't save you now," Owen called to her as he took slow, deliberate steps towards her. A wave of clear energy bubbled around his hand, waiting to be released.

"No," Stella called out in her tiny voice, "but I can."

Quickly, she thrust the hood of the car from over her shoulder and hurled it at Molecule Man. He raised his hands up and disintegrated the hood but Stella had already climbed to her feet, staggering to regain her footing before taking off in a run. Her pink hair whipped behind her as she ran in the direction Tony had told her to go.

"Do you know where I am?!" Stella yelled into her uniform's comm. as she ran faster, blindly navigating her way.

"_Maria is tracking your coordinates," _Tony's voice was soothing on her ears. "_We got you, Supernova."_

She could hear someone advancing behind her through the dark streets and her breathing started to come out in rasps. Fearful gasps escaped her throat as she held her hands out in front of her, trying to see through the faint glow of the forcefield overhead.

"I'm right behind you," Owen's voice was low, terrifying, and dangerously close.

"Not anymore!" Thor's voice boomed out and the sound of Mjolnir smashing onto the ground met Stella's ears. The ground came up from underneath her as the hammer sent out a wave of enchanted energy. She stumbled as the ground rose up, fell into a roll, and swiftly righted herself back onto her feet. Stella didn't look back as she continued to run, Tony's voice guiding her the entire way.

* * *

"Bruce," Steve warned, "the ceiling doesn't look like it's going to hold for two more hours. Do you think we can move this thing?"

Bruce stopped working and looked up. Steve was right. The ceiling was cracked beyond belief. No doubt it was all of the heavy equipment from the research lab above them that was adding weight to the already crumbling floor. Even without the crushing force of the barrier, Stark Tower would sooner collapse in on itself than be slowly dissolved into microscopic particles every hour.

Bruce shook his head frantically, "I can't move it. It's too heavy. And at this point it's too unstable. I'll just have to work faster."

Steve looked up again, his eyes panicked, "Much faster."

* * *

Natasha patted a now calm woman on the shoulder before walking away and back into the crowd.

"When are we getting out of here?" A man asked her. He was huddled up by the receptionist's table, a woman by his side.

"As soon as we can get the forcefield down, sir," Natasha told him in what she hoped was a soothing voice. She was on edge at the moment, and her professionalism could only be tested so much.

"And how long is _that_ going to take?"

Natasha narrowed her eyes, "Well, when the barrier comes down, you'll have your answer."

The man rolled his eyes and mumbled to the woman he was with, "Great, our lives are riding on a bunch of freaks."

Natasha rounded on him and opened her mouth to angrily retort but a warm hand on her wrist stopped her.

"He's not worth it. You know that," Clint's voice calmed her down.

The female assassin took a deep breath, "You're right. He's not." She gave the man the stink eye before walking away with Clint.

"I don't like being helpless, Clint," Natasha said to him as they ascended the entryway stairs. They had a better vantage point from this angle - Clint's idea, obviously.

"We're not helpless."

"We're not fighting," she pointed out with a sigh.

The archer threw her a smirk, "_You_ almost were."

Natasha couldn't help but smile as she shrugged, "He had it coming."

"We're not freaks, you know," Clint said after a while. "You _do_ know that, right?"

Natasha licked her lips before nodding slowly, "Stella has made it a point to tell us that we're all normal."

Clint chuckled, "She doesn't even know what 'normal' is."

Natasha smiled slightly, "To her, we _are_ normal."

Clint shrugged, "Maybe she's right."

"She is," Natasha said with finality in her voice. "We're all human. We're all normal."

"You-" Clint began but was cut off by a loud shaking.

Natasha's eyes went wide, "That's not supposed to happen yet." She looked down at her watch, "It hasn't been an hour!"

The forcefield flickered and dulled before becoming solid again.

Clint blinked, "What the..."

"What just happened?" Natasha wondered.

Clint shook his head, "I have no idea."

* * *

Stella ran faster than she had ever run in any training exercise Tony and Steve had put her through. Her heart was pounding and tears were leaking steadily from her eyes because she was just so afraid, so _terrified_ of being alone - of being alone and failing everyone.

"_Don't cry, Supernova,_" Tony's voice soothed. "_We're gonna get you out of there."_

"_Stella!"_ Bruce's voice crackled over the wavelength.

"Bruce!" Stella said happily, her eyes lighting up, "You are alright!"

Bruce marveled at the fact that Stella was in danger and yet she was worried about _him_, about _Bruce_.

"_Yeah, Stell, I'm fine."_

Stella stopped in front of what she hoped was the building Fury wanted her to find.

"Masters' Sculpting Company?" She asked.

"_That's it, Supernova. That's good, you're there. It's where I ordered your ice sculpture, by the way," _Tony sounded proud of that still.

"_Can you get in, Stella?"_ Fury's voice asked.

Looking around for any signs of life, Stella quickly and quietly ran up to the door. She tried the handle, but it wouldn't budge.

"I am unable to enter. What should I do?"

"_Blast the hell out of that door,"_ Fury commanded. _"We don't have time to worry about damages."_

"O-okay," Stella's voice was shaky as she held her hands out. A brilliant silver glow encompassed her hands and she shot the bolts out towards the door. Blue streaks flickered along the metal as the orbs crashed into the building. The door blew clear off and a huge hole in the wall was left in its place.

"_Stella?!" _Bruce's voice was worried. "_Are you okay? Stella?!"_

"I am unharmed, Bruce," she said warmly. "I am safe."

A crashing sounded from behind her and she whipped her head around in time to see a flash of green followed by a streak of red.

"Thor and The Molecule Man are here!" She whisper-screamed into her intercom, voice shrill and panicked.

"_Get inside!"_ Tony, Fury, and Bruce all said.

Stella's eyes went wide as she rushed into the huge factory warehouse. Inside was dark and smelled of paint and something else that Stella couldn't quite place. Catwalks covered the ceiling and metal hooks and pulleys hung from them. Huge vats were loosely covered with tarps and ceramic throwing wheels were set up all over the warehouse floor. Boxes upon boxes labelled 'FRAGILE' were stacked by a loading bay which had its metal door pulled down and padlocked.

Stella stepped forward and stopped short. Her eyes looked down her nose as she breathed. Her breath was visible. But it wasn't cold outside...

"Where will you run now, Starlight?" Owen's voice echoed off the walls. "You will freeze before you escape."

Stella ducked out of fear and scrambled to hide behind one of the covered vats.

"_Is he there?_" Tony asked.

"Yes," Stella whispered, fear evident in her voice as she peeked her head over the vat.

"_Stella, you listen to me,"_ Fury said. "_I need you to get in one of the vats."_

"What?!" She exclaimed a little too loudly.

Owen turned at the sound of her voice and smirked. He held out his hand and blasted the vat she was behind into tiny little pieces. Stella screamed out and ran further into the darkened factory. Her uniform snagged on a hanging hook and she struggled to release herself. She panicked as she desperately wriggled around. Using all of her strength, she tore herself free from the hook, her superhuman abilities pulling the hook and its supporting beam from the ceiling. She barely dodged out of the way before the giant metal slab came crashing down.

"Stella, Stella, Stella," Owen chided. "When are you going to learn that all you do is destroy? You're not one of the good guys."

Stella turned in circles, frantically searching for Owen in he darkness, "That is not true! I _am_ one of the good guys!" She ducked behind another vat, "And you could be too!"

"_Stella, get _in_ the vat!" _Fury commanded again.

"Friend Stella? Where are you?" Thor's voice called from the front of the factory.

Owen turned his head towards Thor and Stella threw out a starbolt in his general direction, and then another, and then another. Molecule Man flew across the factory and slammed into the 'FRAGILE' marked boxes. They toppled over onto him and the ceramics tumbled out, crashing and breaking into shards on the floor.

"_Woah," _Tony's voice cracked to life over the frequency, "_Whatever you did, keep it up. The forcefield just weakened over here."_

Stella's entire body was shaking as Thor rushed over to her.

"We are in darkness," Thor told her, "We have the advantage. Our enemy will not be able to dissolve our blasts as quickly if we surprise him with them."

"But I must get in one of these strange bathtubs. Fury ordered me to do so!"

Thor nodded at his friend, "Very well. Then I shall distract him whilst you find a suitable bathtub."

Tony rolled his eyes from his end, "_Oy._"

Thor powered up Mjolnir and set a wave of electric energy hurtling towards Molecule Man. The blast hit him square in the chest and more ceramics came crashing down. The villain staggered to his feet, blindly shooting out a forcefield which Thor managed to jump over by grabbing onto another hanging hook. The god shot out a blast again and it sailed into its target once more.

Back at Stark Tower, everyone watched the forcefield continue to weaken.

"Enough!" Owen shouted out just as Stella was climbing into one of the vats. She quickly threw her other leg over and hugged her knees to her chest as she crouched inside. Owen did not see this.

"I will crush your precious _Tower_, you pathetic fools! How can you _possibly_ sit there and act like you must take orders from humans. YOU ARE NOT ONE OF THEM! Surely even _you_ are aware of this, God of Thunder. Huh? Well, aren't you?"

"Man of Molecules," Thor held out a hand, "it does not have to be this way. You do not have to resort to a world of evil."

"Yes, I _do_," Owen gritted his teeth and destroyed another vat. Stella was not inside that one.

"You do not," Thor shook his head. "What happened to your mother, it was not your fault. You should avenge her death by doing _good_, should you not? A loved one should never be mourned in the company of evil deeds. What glory will that bring her? What remembrance except that of a son who showed no mercy to a peaceful people."

"Spoken like a true outsider," Owen snarled. Yet, his voice held less force than before. His head began to hurt immensely, his thoughts jumbling up inside of him.

"You need help, Owen Reece," Thor used his real name. "We can help you."

"No one can help me," he destroyed another vat. Stella covered her head as the one next to her exploded.

"Yes we can!" Thor walked forward, attempting to obstruct Owen's view of the vat that Stella was inside of. "You are not alone. I myself came to this planet, hurt and scarred by my own father. I was shunned by my family for being so ignorant, so stupid. I did not turn to a life of crime, Owen. There are people here who can help you."

Owen's migraine increased tenfold and he gritted his teeth together, screaming out in agony, "NOOOO!"

He sent out a blast and Thor dove out of the way as it tore through the air and spiraled towards the vat Stella was in.

"NO!" Thor called out, reaching a hand towards the vat and knowing he could do nothing to stop the blast.

"_Stella!"_ Tony and Bruce called as Stark Tower shook and the next floor collapsed and dissolved. The ceiling above Bruce began to give way as he fell to the floor, his body turning green and growing larger. Steve rushed forward and grabbed him around the shoulders, trying to calm him as the entire building rumbled around them. Clint grabbed Natasha's hand as she lost her footing and he held her as the two of them watched the forcefield around them shrink up to the windows, shattering the glass and raining the shards down on the guests below.

Fury's chin trembled as he shut his eyes, waiting for the seconds to pass. He hoped his plan would work. He hoped he would not fail.

The third hour was over.

* * *

**...woo? I just love cliffhangers, in case y'all didn't notice...hehe. Um, yeah. So, that happened. I want to say that it's all uphill from here but...you know me...it's not going to be that way. Do not fret, I promise not to break your hearts too much. I don't want to drive you guys away from the sequel, haha.**

**Anywho, there's another update for you. And for all you comic book fans like me out there, I put in a little homage paid to Alicia Masters who is part of the Fantastic Four series. She's the one who helps them defeat Molecule Man in the comics. She's a blind sculptor :]**

**I hope you guys enjoyed to the best of your ability these new chapters! The next one should be out hopefully tomorrow and if not then Saturday for sure!**

**Your reviews keep me going and they are all wonderful, fantastic, and heart warming. I love you all very dearly!**

**Stay tuned! xx Nikki**


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Marvel. Only Stella and the plot are mine.

* * *

**The Fourth Hour.**

Owen fell to the ground, his hands enveloped in clear, arcing energy. He panted as sweat poured down from his hairline. His eyes glistened as he looked around, fearful, _lost._

Thor's hand fell to his side, his mouth still open after screaming out towards Stella. He looked at the super villain and saw his manic eyes had locked onto the vat, the _still standing_ vat.

Owen looked down at his hands, trembling and white hot, "It...didn't work."

He clutched his head as the headache forced him to the ground. Supporting himself on his elbows as he leaned down on his knees, he fisted his hair in his hands, "I...I..."

Halfheartedly, Owen shot out another beam of dissolving energy. It spread over the vat and disappeared, the vat remaining intact. He closed his eyes and rolled onto his side as the headache overtook him.

Thor climbed to his feet and rushed forward, disregarding the fallen villain and stepping over him.

"Friend Stella!" He called. "Please tell me that you are unharmed. I...you _must_ be unharmed," he begged of the silence in the room.

Two dainty, tiny hands slid out from underneath the tarp on top of the vat and grasped the lip of the giant 'bathtub'. Bits of plaster floated down from the fingertips. Familiar silvery grey eyes peeked out, wide and frazzled, and locked onto Thor's equally as wide eyes. Unruly, light pink, curly hair spilled over the side as Stella lifted her head further above the lip.

Thor smiled widely. She was alive.

"You are unharmed! Thank the _Norns_, Stella." He whispered again to himself in relief, "Thank the Norns."

"Is..." It was still her tiny, unsure voice, "Is it over?"

Thor looked down to Owen, still panting and half conscious on the ground, "I believe it to be so."

"M-mother..." Owen babbled out. "My mother..."

Stella climbed the rest of the way out of the vat and hurried over to him. Thor made a move to stop her but refrained from going through with it. That was Stella. Easily forgiving, always wanting to help. Never mind that the man had been out to kill her just moments ago. He needed help now and Stella would always be the first to offer.

Thor watched as the pink haired woman crouched down next to the former lab technician, dried plaster falling off of her uniform as she moved. She helped him into a sitting position and Owen looked at her with surprise written all over his face. He blinked at her multiple times, his hands limp at his sides.

"You...why?" He asked.

Stella smiled at him, at _Owen_, no longer Molecule Man, and looked past the jagged scars on his face. She sat in front of him Indian style and leaned forward. In her typical, inquisitive fashion, she squinted her eyes and gave him a wry smile.

"Have you ever seen Harry Potter?"

Owen blinked, his jaw clenched in confusion. He looked to the god standing nearby and the Asgardian shrugged, his hard look telling him to answer _or else_. Owen snapped his head back to the pink haired woman and nodded quickly.

She smiled, happy with his answer, and told him, "Well, the character Draco Malfoy didn't turn out to be so bad, now did he?"

Owen remained silent.

Stella leaned back, pushed herself up to a standing position, and held out her plaster-debris covered hand to Owen.

"Sometimes good people can be misguided." She looked at Thor, "Because what is in there is what separates you from the people who do harm," she pointed to Owen's chest with the hand she wasn't holding out to him. Thor smiled faintly, remembering those words to be the exact ones he had told her all those days ago in Stark Tower.

"But, I _did_ do harm," conflict rose behind his eyes, "I still..._want_ to."

"Then you should take my hand and I will make sure that you do not do such things," she said pointedly.

He made no move to take her hand and she frustratedly ordered, "Take my hand, damnit!"

Owen snapped to attention and grabbed her hand while Thor let out a loud chuckle. The Man of Iron had _truly_ rubbed off on Friend Stella.

The god stepped forward, "Now, former Man of Molecules. You will take down these forcefields and let these people go. You have caused enough damage in this city. You have frightened enough people."

Owen was shaking as Stella gripped his forearm. He blinked rapidly. The headache from earlier had jumbled up his mind so badly that he didn't know left from right. He wanted to be bad, but he wanted to be good. Good. Bad. Good. Bad. WHAT WAS HE?!

"Gah," he gripped his hair. "My head- _ahhh_."

Stella barely caught him and held him up as he awkwardly fell towards her. She faltered on her feet before propping him up fully.

Inside Owen's head raged a thousand feelings. Memories flew past him in flickered images. He could make out the gentle smile of his mother and the warm feeling of being in her presence surrounded him. Then he could see the destruction he caused, the people he killed. He...he had _killed_ people. And he had _liked it_.

He had wanted to kill Stella, to _destroy_ her. He wanted her to be blasted so far into oblivion that there would be no hope of a star ever coming close to being able to rebuild her. He had hated her with every fiber of his being. He had made it a _point_ to put her down, tell her she was a freak. And here she was..._helping_ him. She...she wanted him to be okay.

There was still someone out there who wanted Owen Reece to be okay.

His tired eyes lifted to Stella's silver ones, "Thank..."

His mind finally cracked.

Owen slumped in Stella's arms and the both of them fell to the ground. With alarmed eyes, Stella glanced up at her friend. Thor looked equally as confused and crouched down. He lightly slapped the sides of Owen's face. The man did not wake up.

"He will not wake," Thor said.

"Is he breathing?!" Stella was frantic.

"I do not kn-" The factory shook violently.

Stella's eyes widened further, "What was that?!"

Thor pushed off the ground and ran to the nearest window. He peered out, "The forcefield has not moved! Some other force must have caused the blast. But what device could have-"

They both gasped and turned to each other, exclaiming out an answer at the same time.

"The generator!"

* * *

Steve had made the horribly idiotic decision of grabbing Bruce around the shoulders as the third hour came to an end and the floor above them came crumbling down. But then again, back in the day at boot camp he had thrown himself on a grenade that he _thought_ was live but turned out to be a dummy. But now, in _this_ situation...Steve was pretty darn sure that _he_ was the dummy.

Bruce writhed underneath Steve as the captain struggled to contain the scientist. A slab of ceiling tile had slammed down onto Steve's back which wasn't comfortable, even for a super soldier. He tried to shake it off of him while still maintaining his hold on the doctor, but the dang piece of plaster just sat on top of the two.

_Great_, Steve thought. _Taken down by a ceiling tile._

"Get. Off. Me." Bruce snarled out, his skin turning dangerously green. Steve could feel the scientist's muscles expanding underneath his own. Well, this was not good.

"Dr. Banner, you need to stay calm. Please don't do this. If that generator is destroyed then we can't-"

"I DON'T CAR-_AAAAAAAAHH!" _

The next thing Steve knew was that he was being thrown through a wall..._again_. Thankfully this one was glass, but he wondered if anyone ever stopped to think of just how painful crashing through glass was. He picked a shard out of his bicep before scrambling to his feet. People had to have known. Glass _hurts_.

He turned his trained eyes on the lab before him. He had been thrown out into the hallway and now had a pretty good view of the damage that the blast and now the huge green rage monster had done.

The room was a wreck. Wires hung from the ceiling - what little ceiling had remained - and sparks flew everywhere. Machines lay toppled over on their sides, papers were everywhere, things were beeping and blipping. It was a _mess_. And to top it all off? Steve's eyes locked onto a large hole in the wall - a large _Hulk sized_ hole.

The super soldier ran into the lab and peered into the hole. The shape of the Hulk went on for miles. It was almost comical, _almost._ It reminded Steve of the cartoons he used to watch where the character's body imprint would be left in the wall after he had quickly fled the room. However, this was no cartoon and an unstable and _extremely angry_ Hulk was on the loose.

"Uhh, Fury," Steve held his mouthpiece to his face, "we got a problem."

"_Could it be any worse than the fact that Stella and Thor aren't answering, Captain_?" Fury's voice asked back.

Steve's heart dropped. He sighed, "Well, no. But...Hulk is here. Well, not _here_. He's...somewhere."

"_Banner changed?_"

"Yes, sir."

"_Shit. Find him, Captain!"_

"On it, sir."

Steve took off in a run in search for Bruce.

As he left the lab, the generator gave a charging up sound, the transmitting end working up to becoming a brilliant blue glow.

* * *

The crowd in the lobby ran towards the windows, the forcefield pressed up against the now glass-less fixtures. They stared in horror mixed with wonder.

Clint and Natasha were hot on the group's heels.

"Stand back!" Natasha yelled. "Barton"

Clint tried to contain the group and move them away. Natasha craned her neck over the heads of the crowd in front of her and noticed the forcefield had weakened but remained in place. Stark Tower gave a low rumble from its foundation, causing the Black Widow and the expert archer to share a panicked look. Why did that keep happening?

Natasha gritted her teeth, "I don't _like_ babysitting."

Clint nodded in agreement. He didn't like it either. A quick survey of the room showed him two free agents who hadn't been assigned to the security room _or_ who hadn't been trapped on the upper floors before, well, _time_ elapsed.

"You," he barked out to one of the idle agents. "Watch these guests. Do _not_ let them out of your sight."

The agent's nod was all Clint had to see before he yanked Natasha by the arm and pulled her towards the staircase. She didn't even ask questions as she blindly followed him up what seemed like hundreds of steps until they reached Stark and Banner's lab.

Clint brought himself to an abrupt stop in the doorway, taking in the state of the lab. Natasha nearly crashed into his back.

"Barton, what- _oh. no._"

Both agents stared forward with panicked looks as the particle generator pivoted on its rotator stand and pointed straight towards them. The generator powered up, a '_peeeeeeew!' _sound screeching out much like that of Iron Man's pulsars. Blue light swarming with waves of deep blue and white began to glow in the barrel of the machine as Clint, in what seemed like slow motion, threw one arm around Natasha's shoulders while the other came up to shield the side of his head. He turned both of them sideways and they threw themselves onto the ground.

"Keep your eyes closed!"

* * *

Tony took the stairs two at a time, Fury hot on his heels.

"What do you _mean_ 'Banner changed'? Tony called down to the director.

"He Hulked out, Mr. Stark," Fury grunted. "Captain Rogers couldn't stop him."

"Damnit, Steve," Tony mumbled as he jumped up the steps faster. "I don't want a stupid cube anymore. Take it off the wish list! Take it off!"

"We're gonna be putting our lives on that wish list if we don't stabilize that machine. No doubt the lab has fallen apart by now. Can't imagine the generator is in good shape."

Tony pulled out his phone and almost tripped up the stairs. He tapped in a few codes while trying to focus on ascending the staircase.

"High gamma readings coming from the lab, Fury," Tony told the man behind him. "It's not Molecule Man doing this though...it's...it's something else."

"What the _hell_." Fury's mind was racing. "What _now_?!"

"I don't know, man! Something's making that generator go coo coo for gamma puffs, though!"

"We have to get that forcefield down and we gotta do it _now_." Fury yelled up. "We have nearly three hundred civilians in the lobby!"

Tony tapped on his phone some more, "Yep. Been working on it. Still trying."

They reached the lobby level and looked around for Clint and Natasha. All they saw were hysterical guests, a dangerously close forcefield, and a couple of S.H.I.E.L.D agents whose pay grades were _definitely_ too low for them to be responsible with such a task.

"They're not here!" Tony said of Barton and Romanoff. "We gotta get to the lab!"

They burst through the stairwell doors mere flights underneath of Clint and Natasha who had entered the well just moments before.

"Move, move, move!" Fury yelled out to Tony as the two ran up the stairs.

"Please, don't let us be too late," Tony said to no one in particular. He looked up at the sky, "You hear that, Odin? Or whoever? Work your Asgardian mojo and save our asses!"

"He's not gonna answer your prayers, Stark. Now climb faster, damnit!"

"If I had my suit then I'd already be up there!"

"Jarvis!" Fury screamed. "Get the damn man a suit!"

"_Uhhh, sir?" _Jarvis called through the intercom system, unsure of who to listen to.

"JARVIS!" Tony screamed out as the building began to shake and rumble again.

Clint and Natasha had just reached the lab.

Fury and Tony crashed through the doors and into the hallway of the lab's floor.

Steve rounded a corner and came face to face with the a giant, green mass.

The generator turned.

Clint and Natasha fell to the floor.

Fury and Tony were thrown back from the force of a mighty rumble.

The Hulk swooped his arms around Steve and shielded him with his entire body.

The generator fired and Stark Tower began to fall.

* * *

**Quick update for you guys :] I'm proud of myself for getting this out today. More time to work on the next one...which I am going to apologize in advance for. Just...just everybody get tissues, okay? I'm not excited for it, but this is where I've wanted the story to go from the beginning. I just didn't know I would become so emotionally attached.**

**That wasn't meant to be a spoiler, just a warning. Don't read too much into that or else you'll all pass out. And I need you all with me! Have faith and trust me on this one!**

**All will be explained in due time.**

**I also hope you guys could follow each segment of this chapter and how the characters played catch up with each other. Each segment took place at the same time to show how they all ended up during the blast. **

**Your reviews are still wonderful, and I'll take them while you still like me! Much love to every single one of you! You're all beautiful, remember that.**

**Stay tuned! *blows half-hearted party blower* Woo...**

**xx Nikki**


	27. Chapter 27

**Please read this first! Taylor Swift's song "Innocent" is used as the basis for this chapter and it would be amazing if you all listened and became familiar with it in order to feel this chapter properly. Even if you don't like Taylor Swift, this song is perfect for the helplessness and innocence I am trying to convey here. Read the lyrics because they're extremely fitting. I will leave you to decide: who is the innocent?**_  
_

**Take your time and really feel this chapter. It's a doozy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel, Taylor Swift's "Innocent", or the hearts this chapter might destroy. I have my own to worry about.**

* * *

_I guess you really did it this time,  
__Left yourself in your war path.  
__Lost your balance on a tightrope.  
__Lost your mind trying to get it back._

Owen opened his eyes. He was being carried. His body bobbed up and down in strong arms as he and whoever held him travelled forward.

"He is waking!" A booming voice belonging to whoever was holding him called out.

"We must get back to the tower!" The second voice was nearly in hysterics. It was frantic, timid yet high-pitched. It sounded broken, helpless -like at any moment the person would break, shatter into a million pieces.

"We have almost reached the border!"

Owen regained clear vision and thought processes. Thor was carrying him. Thor. The _God _of Thunder.

"Hhhuuuummm," he very nearly _squeaked_ out.

"Now is not the time for mindless babble, Midgardian! Take down this forcefield _right now_."

_Wasn't it easier in your lunchbox days?  
__Always a bigger bed to crawl into._

Thor righted Owen onto his feet and the lab technician turned super villain turned _back_ to...whatever he was now, stumbled forward.

His hands were shaking as he held them up. In the distance, Owen could see Stark Tower still wrapped in his second forcefield. A crackling blue light was shooting out of one of the upper floors. Pieces of the building were crumbling around it.

"Do it!" Stella yelled out, her hands shaking as well. They had to get there in time. They had to save them! She whimpered as her hands smacked against her sides lamely.

Owen reached forward. Nothing happened.

He looked down at his hands.

"It's not working."

Stella let out a strangled cry.

Why wasn't it working?

_Wasn't it beautiful when you believed in everything  
__And everybody believed in you?_

Natasha slowly uncovered her head. The floor beneath her was rumbling. Something heavy was on top of her and she struggled to wriggle herself onto her back so she could properly see her restraints. Her eyes came to land on the closed ones of Clint.

"Barton," she said, gripping his shoulders and heaving them both up. "Clint!"

The room was breaking into pieces. Debris flew everywhere as the generator continued to fire out blasts of Tesseract-laced energy.

"_Peeeew!_" BOOM!

Natasha shielded her eyes again and turned her head towards Clint.

"Clint! Clint, you gotta wake up."

His eyes remained closed.

"Please," Natasha whispered so softly, so pleadingly, that she barely recognized her own voice cracking.

She had never felt so small.

_It's alright, just wait and see  
__Your string of lights is still bright to me._

Hulk opened his eyes. His head hurt. What had hit him?

He looked around at the decimated hallway around him. The ceiling above him had collapsed. Hulk grunted. _Oh._

Something warm was in his hands. Hulk looked down. The frail body of the blonde soldier lay curled to Hulk's chest. He was breathing, but just barely. The man's face was scratched, soot covering his strong features. Hulk's heart rate increased even more.

Had he done this?

Hulk looked around, Steve still cradled in his arms, close to his heart.

Had he done _this_?

His large, green fingers gently wrapped the fallen captain closer. Steve's head was pressed against Hulk's heart. The huge, green beast stood half hunched in the destroyed Stark Tower hallway, sparks flying all around him, dust settling on the floor.

The human life in his hands was so small, so _tiny_. He was a friend. Steve was Hulk's friend.

Bruce's voice cried out from deep within Hulk's mind. Hulk could hear him. Bruce was like Steve. Small. Tiny.

Hulk made a cross between a growl and a whimper.

Standing in the middle of the hallway like a cowering animal was the great and mighty Incredible Hulk. His eyes glistened; he was afraid that he had hurt everyone in this giant tower. Squeezing his eyes shut, he felt the anger inside of him rage against the sadness that was swelling up in his heart.

_Oh, who you are is not who you've been,_

Had he done this?

_You're still an innocent._

A sob ripped out of Stella's throat.

"Why is it not working?!" She cried. "Owen, Owen _please _take down this forcefield."

Owen had been looking down at his hands but at the sound of his name he snapped his head up. She had called him by his real name. She had _pleaded_ to him with his real name.

"Owen?" He asked so softly that had Thor and Stella not possessed super hearing they would not have heard him.

Stella's bottom lip trembled at the hopelessness of the situation but replied nonetheless, "That is your name."

"That...is my name," Owen said, astonished, as if he was learning of this for the first time.

_Did some things you can't speak of  
__But at night you live it all again._

"What have I done?" Owen fell to his knees.

"Not now, Owen Reece," Thor said forcefully. "You can not do this now. Not when so many lives are at stake." The god's voice held a sadness that caught the now ex-villain by surprise.

Owen raised his hands slowly and concentrated hard. His head started to ache something awful. It felt like his entire mind was about to shatter. The forcefield dimmed and he pushed a little more.

Stella was bouncing on her feet, impatient, waiting, _hoping_.

Owen strained his mind so much that his knees shook against the ground. The lab technician almost fell over from the amount of stress. The forcefield around Staten Island disappeared completely and Owen's arms fell limply against his sides.

Thor pulled Owen up. "Thank you, Former Man of Molecules."

"The other forcefield has not gone away!" Stella yelled out as she started to run to the edge of the shore. The bridges had been destroyed, Staten Island nearly following suit. Stella stopped at the river, looking down into its murky depths. Her reflection stared back at her, warped by the ripples of the waters. The face looking up into her silvery eyes looked so hopeless and lost.

Thor swooped Owen up like one would carry a football underneath one's arm and advanced towards Stella and the shore. She looped her arms around his neck as he pointed Mjolnir at the sky. They took off in a burst of wind and soared towards Stark Tower.

They had no time to waste for their time was almost up.

_You wouldn't be shattered on the floor now,  
__If only you would've seen what you know now then._

Fury looked all around him. It was as if everything was happening in slow motion. The S.H.I.E.L.D personnel running frantically to the exits, the live wires sparking, dust settling, screams, panic, pain -_BOOM_.

Everything started moving at the proper rate as Fury pulled himself to his feet. He had to...he had to...where was Stark?

"Fury!" Speak of the devil... "Fury, we can't - wow, you look like shit. Look, man, we gotta get these people out of here. This whole place is gonna blow. _Again_."

Although Tony looked beyond irritated that his precious tower was going to be destroyed _again_, there was a not so hidden terror in his eyes that Fury had only seen a few times before. Tony knew that the forcefield around the tower was still up. Tony knew that there was no taking it down.

More importantly, Tony knew that he was no longer Iron Man. He was no longer powerful, superior. The Hulk was no longer incredible, Black Widow no longer deadly. Hawkeye couldn't blast his way out of the tower and Captain America couldn't lead the three hundred guests out to safety. Fury couldn't call for reinforcements, couldn't call for help.

They were all so incredibly, _impossibly_ human in these moments and there was nothing they could do to change what was about to happen.

They had tried and they had failed.

Fury saw the look in Tony's eyes and for once had nothing to say to the billionaire.

Tony knew they were all going to die.

Fury knew it too.

_Wasn't it easier in your firefly-catching days?  
__When everything out of reach, someone bigger brought down to you?_

Hulk ran down the destroyed hallways. He carried Captain America in his large hands like a child would carry a precious stuffed animal. Hulk could feel Steve's life underneath his large, green hands. He had never...had he done this?

Hulk was frantic, grunting every which way and turning his head spastically, desperately trying to navigate the halls. He trundled forward, big footsteps smashing and breaking things further. The noises upset him. There was so much destruction around Hulk. There was _always_ destruction around Hulk.

"Hulk!" A female voice called out to him.

Hulk grunted and saw the red-headed assassin waving him over. She was dragging the man with the pointy-shooty sticks. Her leg looked badly injured.

Natasha limped along while trying to support Clint with what little energy she had left. Her leg was throbbing, her head pounding. The man leaning against her had not woken. Her heart was beating way too fast. She was so helpless. Natasha was _never_ helpless.

"Help me." Her eyes looked up to Hulk and he didn't see the fear of him that he remembered from that fateful day on the Helicarrier- the day where he tried to kill her, _wanted_ to kill her and rip her apart.

He saw a different fear. The fear of dying.

Everything was so loud and everybody was so desperate. Hulk clutched Steve tighter to his chest.

Had he done this?

Bruce whimpered again from somewhere deep inside Hulk.

Hulk picked up the fallen archer and cradled him and the captain in his arms. Shifting them so that he could protect them using only one arm, Hulk extended his free hand down to Natasha.

She looked at his outstretched hand, eyes glistening, breaths shallow. Her delicate, shaking hand slid into his as they both hurried down the hallway, searching for a way out - a way to survive.

_Wasn't it beautiful running wild 'til you fell asleep  
__Before the monsters caught up with you?_

Stella ran full speed towards Stark Tower after Thor had set them both down. With hot, angry tears running down her cheeks she forcefully banged on the translucent barrier. The wall gave loud thumping noises as her fists reverberated against it but other than that it remained solid. Her fists slid down the forcefield as she collapsed on the ground, sobbing harder.

"Friend Stella!" Thor was running towards her, Owen still underneath his arm. "Stand back!"

Stella stumbled to her feet and tripped as she cleared the way for the god. She was so damn helpless. She was so _damn_ helpless!

Thor maneuvered Owen and held him by the shoulders in front of the forcefield.

"Once more," he commanded.

Owen lifted his hands, not noticing a steady stream of deep red blood running from his nose. His head was pounding. This was all so much- all _too_ much.

"No," Stella said quietly. "No!"

"Stella, what-"

She cut Thor off, "Look," she indicated the blue blasts shooting out from the tower. "It will destroy the city."

"How do you know?" Owen asked, hands still raised and ready to take down the forcefield, or at least try.

Stella looked at her trembling hands, "Because that is what is inside of me."

"It's inside of me too!" Owen was frantic now. He was seeing double and everything was _so loud_.

"And look what you almost did," Thor told him, understanding now what Stella was trying to say.

"Keep the forcefield up," Stella said. "Keep it up and..." she swallowed, "let everyone out. W-when I go in..." tears streamed down her face, "please make it solid again."

Thor closed his eyes in sadness. He would lose another tonight.

"N-no," Owen said. "No way. You're...you're too good to...you can't."

Party guests had by now noticed the three outside of the tower and had become restless, banging on the forcefield and yelling for help.

"Please," she said again, body shaking with fear. "I must."

"Do it," Thor ordered Owen quietly. "Let this...let this horror be done with."

Owen closed his mouth and set it in a straight line. The only person who believed in him was about to sacrifice herself for what he had started.

He had done this.

_Time turns flames to embers.  
__You'll have new Septembers.  
__Every one of us has messed up too._

Tony fell down three steps and groaned. He pulled himself up, wasting no time. Fury steadied him, for once showing the billionaire some compassion. It was a grim day when Fury was helping Tony Stark stand up.

They reached the lobby where ceiling pieces were falling, craters opening up. The guests were gone and in their place stood Stella. Thor remained outside with Owen by his side.

"Supernova!" Tony's face was covered in dirt, but he smiled brightly when he saw her. She was alright! She was perfect! She was...why was she crying?

Stella marched up to Fury just as The Hulk came busting through the stairwell. He carried the unconscious forms of Clint and Steve in his arms. Natasha held his hand tightly, too shaken to let go. Even the mightiest are frightened. Even the deadliest assassins remember what is was like to be a child, lost and afraid.

"Starlight, what are you doing?" There was no malice in Fury's voice. Part of him knew what she was doing and that part of him was begging him to persuade her not to.

"Please," her voice was frail, cracking with the weight of her sadness, "you all must leave this building. Go to the other side of the forcefield."

There was so little time left.

"No!" Tony was outraged. "No! I know that look. You're not going to do it. Supernova, _please_."

"You know it is the only way, Tony." Stella's face was screwed up in pain and heartbreak. "It was what I was made for."

Tony's eyes glistened. _How_ man times was he going to have to cry? Huh? _Huh?!_

"A giant supernova..." Steve mumbled as he came to, reaching his arm out towards Stella. He wanted to stop her. "Stella, no..."

Hulk grunted and pulled him closer, "Captain stay."

Fury's face hardened, "I never wanted this for you."

Tony would have scoffed and rolled his eyes had he not been so busy trying not to hyperventilate. Really? He was going to lose somebody else he cared about? And Stella of all people? The woman who changed his life...he was going to lose her?

"Is everyone out?" Stella looked worried and everyone realized that Stella cared about the lives of everyone else more than her own. Natasha laughed lightly to herself. Typical Stella.

"Yes," Fury resigned to letting her go through with her plan. He had no choice. "Everyone is out."

"You all must go." Her voice cracked again. She tried to stay strong, but everyone could see her struggling.

"Stella, no-" Tony took a step forward.

"GO!" She yelled. Tony was taken aback and stopped in his tracks. The Iron Man suit he had asked for deployed from the sparking elevator, arriving too late. Tony reached down and grabbed the suitcase in one hand, barely feeling its weight because of how heavy his heart was.

"I was never meant to live," Stella whimpered. "I was made to destroy. And..and I will destroy that horrible _thing_ and..." she looked at Hulk, her eyes meeting his. Bruce was in there. "You will all be safe."

She turned back to the rest of the team. There was nearly no time left. She gave them a watery smile.

"I can save you."

It barely registered to Tony that Fury was dragging him out of the building. Everything seemed to have no volume. Everything was muted. Tony couldn't hear any sounds - not his own voice screaming out to Stella as he clutched his suitcase to his chest, not Steve's shouting as he tried, _desperately _tried, to free himself from the Hulk's arms, not even Clint who had by now awoken and was shooting every arrow in his quiver at the forcefield. The explosions and shouts fell on deaf ears.

Tony Stark felt and heard nothing. He _was_ nothing.

Stella stood alone in the entryway, the building crumbling down around her. She lifted a hand and faced her palm towards the Avengers. Her body began to glow in an eerie blue and silver light. Everything she had ever trained for, all that the Avengers had taught her, had led her to this moment.

Tony realized with horror that they had been training her to die.

_Minds change like the weather,  
__I hope you remember  
__Today is never too late to be brand new._

The Hulk, arms now free of fallen heroes, ran full force towards the forcefield. The Hulk was...Tony was stunned. The Hulk was crying.

"Hulk say goodbye!" He shouted out like a child being separated from a parent. "Hulk say goodbye!"

"STELLA!" The voice that came out of Hulk's mouth was not the Hulk's. It was Bruce's.

That was it for Owen. He lifted his hand and pushed just enough so that when the Hulk, crying out and wailing, ran towards the barrier, he would pass right through. And that's exactly what happened.

The Avengers watched, completely helpless, as the Hulk ran on all fours towards Stella. He grabbed her just as the particle generator exploded and her own body burst into a glowing blue and silver light. The two blasts were enough to make the team shield their eyes. Owen completely passed out from the pressure of containing the explosion within his forcefield.

The barrier flickered and dimmed before completely sparking out. All that was left was the rubble of Stark Tower. Nothing survived. The nozzle of the generator poked out at the top and the glow surrounding it faded away, a crackle of blue energy passing over it.

Tony fell to his knees as he saw the ruins. Steve placed a hand on his shoulder, the Captain's own eyes wet with tears. Thor gripped Mjolnir in his hand. Another loved one had been taken from him. Clint slid his hand into Natasha's but the female assassin didn't even register the warmth.

Fury turned away. He couldn't watch this. He _wouldn't_ watch this.

"Stella..." Tony trailed off as he and the rest of the Avengers stared at the rubble in front of them.

They were silent for a long time afterwards.

_Who you are is not what you did,_

Stella was gone.

_You're still an innocent._

* * *

***backs away slowly***

**Number 1) I apologize for the wait. Classes began and I am so swamped I could pass out. I'm actually putting off a ton of work so I can get this out because it is that important to me.**

**Number 2) I think I broke my heart. I apologize to those of you who do not like songs in fics. I actually am not too huge of a fan of it but this song fit so perfectly that I needed that many lyrics to show how helpless and completely lost everyone was. They are so raw and so human in the chapter. I actually got a huge lump in throat while writing this and that's part of the reason it took so long to get out to you guys. I really couldn't bring myself to finish it. I wanted it perfect and...I apologize that this is my perfect version.**

**Number 3) There are two chapters left. I can not, and I mean CAN NOT, thank you all enough for your support through this story. You are all wonderful and amazing and I hope you know how much you mean to me. Your words have always been kind and reassuring! That being said I hope none of you want to kill me because of this chapter. And if anybody needed tissues I am so sorry for that as well!**

**Stay tuned and hold out hope!**

**xx Nikki**


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel. Only Stella and the plot are mine.**

* * *

_Can you save me from this nothing I've become?  
__It's just something that I've done.  
__I never meant to cause you worry._

"You must wake up, my dear."

"Hmmoose?"

"Wake your mind and focus."

"Hrussse?"

"I know not of which you speak."

A set of silvery-grey eyes focused on the world around them. Pale, white skin felt the prickles of goosebumps from the chill in the air. The figure shifted and wild, light pink hair spilled over and down two slender shoulders.

"Bruce?"

There was a smile in the voice that replied, "I am not Bruce Banner, my dear."

Stella sat up fully, her body shooting forward. She was thrust back into the reality of what had happened, what she had done.

"Bru-" his name died on her tongue as she looked at her surroundings. Beyond the black abyss in front of her was a sphere far in the distance. Blues, greens, whites, and browns mixed together inside the sphere and Stella could have sworn she had seen a picture like this before.

She blinked when it clicked. She had seen the picture before on the ceiling of the new room the Avengers had decorated for her for her birthday. It was _Earth_.

"W-where am I?"

The voice still held the smile and responded gently.

"The Moon."

* * *

Tony wouldn't move. He _refused_ to move, actually. Steve had tried, Natasha had tried, Thor had tried. He wouldn't budge. He stayed staring at the leveled tower in front of him, on his knees, on the ground.

Tony slowly turned his head. His big, brown eyes locked onto Owen. The lab-technician felt impossibly small in that moment. The genius billionaire gave him a stare that cut right to the bone. Owen felt such hatred coming from the philanthropist that he was tempted to hide behind Thor.

Tony's lips curled into a snarl.

"This is all your fault."

Owen gulped and replied to him feebly, "I know."

"Tony," Steve's voice was very nearly broken. "Tony, what do...what do you need?"

Tony sighed, his arms limp. He shook his head and gave a defeated laugh, flapping his arms once against his sides and raising his head to shake it at the heavens. He looked back to Steve, eyes shimmering.

"Can someone just hold the back of my shirt please?"

Natasha, all ill-feelings towards Stark pushed to the side, immediately fell to her knees and clung to the back of his shirt. She switched to a cross-legged position and the team continued to stare at the wreckage, the sirens of the firefighters going unnoticed by all.

* * *

"The Moon?!" Stella screeched. "No! No, no, I _must_ go back to-" she tried to get up and promptly fell flat on her stomach.

"Careful," the gentle male voice said. "We do not want our shining star to be hurt."

Stella sighed and let her head rest on the dusty ground, "It is much too late for that."

She lifted her head slightly to assess the man next to her. He took her by surprise. He was quite small but looked more than capable of beating someone in a fight. Although, by his demeanor and his calming smile, Stella thought that maybe this man would not want to fight a soul. He was bald as well, his head slightly bigger than a normal human head. He wore what seemed to Stella to be...a blue dress? A high collar stood up to his ears and he wore pale blue gloves on his hands.

"Who are you?"

The same gentle smile graced his face. He seemed wise, more wise than anyone that Stella had ever encountered. His eyes held a knowledge that the pink haired woman could not even begin to comprehend - and she had been able to understand quantum physics.

"My name is Uatu," his voice held a patience that calmed the trembling woman. "I have been watching over you for quite some time."

Stella looked around and frowned. This was the Moon. This was..._far_.

"From here?"

He gave a low chuckle, "Ah, Stella. Ever the innocent."

She furrowed her eyebrows and chose to look out into the distance, out at Earth.

"Why are you here?"

Uatu leaned back, "That is a story for another time, I am afraid."

Stella swallowed uncertainly, her heartbeat quick, "Tell me, uh, Uatu. If you can see my...my friends, are they," her bottom lip trembled, "are they safe?"

Uatu nodded, his gaze turning to Earth, "They are."

Stella smiled in relief.

"You saved them."

Her smile faded and her eyes began to swell with tears, "And now I shall never see them again."

Uatu gave her a full smile, although she didn't see for she was too preoccupied staring at the distant planet she had come to call her home.

"What makes you think you will never see them again?"

* * *

"Is Friend Banner gone as well?" Thor voiced to the silence. He dared not speak for a few moments but the matter was pressing. He had to know how many he had lost.

Clint shrugged halfheartedly, bow at his side, "He went in after her. Big guy hasn't resurfaced yet. I don't think he made it."

"He wanted to say goodbye," Tony said. "The stupid lug, he...he wanted to say goodbye. _I_ didn't get to say goodbye. I didn't...I didn't get to say goodbye, guys."

Natasha tightened her grip on his shirt.

Fury took a step forward and opened his mouth to speak but thought better of it. He would let them have this time. He would finally let _himself_ have this time.

They needed to mourn.

* * *

Stella whipped her head around so fast that she winced.

"What?"

Uatu took a few steps forward, clasping his hands behind his back as he returned his stare to space, "I asked what makes you think you will never see them again?"

Stella wrung out her hands and replied quietly, "Because I am dead."

Uatu gave a bellowing laugh which was very uncharacteristic for him, very uncharacteristic indeed.

"You are not dead, shining star."

Stella's eyes widened with hope, "I am not?!"

Uatu shook his head, "You are not."

The pink haired woman frowned, "Then why am I here?"

"_You_ are not here physically."

Stella stared blankly at the man.

He gave the same patient smile, "Your soul is here with me."

"My...my soul?"

Uatu shrugged, "You are still on Earth, my dear. Under a rather large pile of rubble, might I add. I merely transported your soul here so that I could talk with you."

"O-okay," Stella said unsurely. She didn't know what was going on at all but she wanted to go home so badly that she decided to let Uatu speak.

"You are special, little celestial being. I wanted to meet you in person because, well, I have broken my oath twice now because of you."

Stella looked up at him from underneath her lashes, her eyes like a small child's, "What did you do?"

Uatu shrugged, "I saved you. _Twice_."

Stella looked perplexed, not knowing what his oath had been or when she had ever been saved by him, "When?"

"Once was just now when Stark Tower came crashing down," he turned to her, "when you gave your life to save the city and your friends."

"And you...saved me from that?"

Uatu seemed to get comfortable in his standing position, closing his eyes and sighing in contentment. He crossed his arms across his chest and leaned back slightly. The man sighed deeply. It was as if he had been doing this for many, many years.

"One such as yourself does not deserve to die in that way - as a sacrifice. The Earth still needs you. The _Universe_ still needs you. That is why I saved you."

"And Bruce? He is alright?"

Uatu gave a soft laugh, "Yes, little one. Bruce is fine. He saved you as well."

Stella's heart raced, "How?"

"I saved your soul," he told her. "Who do you think saved your body?"

Stella smiled softly, tears welling inside her eyes again, "Hulk."

She looked up at Uatu, "How did I survive in the scary room in Staten Island?"

"You have that _peculiar_ one-eyed man to thank for that," Uatu said. "He knew that Mr. Reece had handicapped himself thinking he could not destroy organic matter. When you were inside the vat the dried plaster from years of use touched your skin and in a way fused you to the pot. When he tried to destroy it..."

"He could not," Stella finished for him.

"Your director has much faith in you, my dear."

The pink haired woman smiled and replied after a moment, "And I in him."

"I fear I may not see you again, little star," Uatu switched subjects. "But it was so very nice to finally meet you. Tell no one of our encounter, do you understand? Not yet, at least."

Stella nodded but said nothing. She was still confused as to what _exactly_ was happening.

Uatu nodded a final goodbye at her before placing a warm hand on her forehead. The distant image of Earth shot forward as beams of lights surrounded her. In an instant, all was dark and there was an obscene amount of pressure all over her body.

Uatu watched this from his post on the Blue of the Moon.

"Take care, little one, for I am afraid that your suffering has only just begun."

* * *

Clint gripped and loosened his hand several times. So many thoughts were running through his head. He felt like he should have tried harder to save Stella. He felt like there must have been something _more_ he could have done.

He briefly looked over at Natasha who was still clinging to Tony's shirt as if the assassin were embodying all that was Stella. The redhead met his gaze and her eyes told him everything -something she had told him so many times before.

_Clint, don't do that to yourself. There was nothing you could have done._

He nodded but she knew the notion had been a lie. Clint would beat himself up over it for weeks and she would be there to make him see straight even if she wasn't seeing all that clearly herself.

Clint crossed his arms, staring at the rubble in front of him with a lump in his throat. He couldn't tear his eyes away. It was as if someone had glued-

Wait.

What was that?

Clint stepped forward.

Was that-

_Yes!_

"Guys!" Clint sprang forward now and rushed towards the ruins, "Movement! I've got movement!"

"Stop kidding yourself, Robin Hood," Tony's jab at Clint was half-hearted as he slumped his shoulders forward. "They're gone."

"No! They're-" Clint was cut off by a deep and annoyed shout.

"Hulk. Hate. ROCKS!"

Several giant pieces of concrete and flooring components shot into the air. A steel beam shot upwards and then tipped over. Clint saw a giant green head appear and gasp for air as its body shuffled around trying to displace the confining wreckage. It was grasping something tight against its chest. A protective look swirling around in its green eyes.

Hulk looked at the shocked faces of the Avengers standing before him. He gruffed out an irritated breath and narrowed his eyes.

"Puny humans help Hulk now."

Clint, Steve, and Thor were by his side in an instant, desperately clawing at the rubble and throwing things every which way. Tony could only stare, still rooted to his spot. Was that...could this be possible? His best friend and the woman he practically raised to be human -were they, were they alive?

"Stella be okay!" Hulk chanted as the Avengers threw concrete slabs behind him, his arms still gripping the warm body beneath him. "Stella be okay!"

"Stella be okay," Tony whispered to himself as he watched his friends move pieces of debris, chucking them off to the side.

Tony couldn't see what was going on behind the Avengers -they had gathered tightly around the spot where Hulk was- but then he heard a voice that was honestly the best thing he had heard in _ages_.

"That was most unpleasant." Her voice was like a song -a sweet, naive, and innocent song. "Let us not do that again."

Tony shot off the ground so fast that he tipped forward and had to push himself off the ground and into a somewhat spastic run before he straightened himself out. He shoved Steve and Thor aside (the God didn't actually move when Tony shoved him but Steve was taken by surprise and toppled over into Clint) and the first thing he saw brought him back to that moment all those weeks ago when his precious Bentley had been destroyed.

Pink hair.

Stella barely had time to breathe before someone had flung themselves at her. She squeaked as her eyes bulged, her arms just barely free enough from the confines of the rubble encasement to wrap around the person's back..

"Supernova, if you ever, _ever_ do that again I will...I will..." Tony pulled away and held her at arms length, the genius kneeling on the ruins in front of her. He looked at her soot covered face, her wide silvery-grey eyes staring back at him with the same adoration they always held for him, _just_ him, Tony Stark. Of all people, this wonderful creature thought _he_ was her hero.

"God, I am so glad you're alright," he breathed out finally. It was the damn truth, too. He didn't care who saw him being a softie at that moment. This was Stella and she was _here_ and he didn't lose her. He didn't lose her!

A beaming, watery smile glowed back at him, "Me too."

Stella surveyed his face closely and untangled her arms from him. She placed a soft hand on his cheek and tilted her head in thought, "Tony, are you crying?"

Tony looked alarmed, his old self creeping back into place, "_Pfft_, no, I'm not crying. It's - I have an astigmatism."

"An astigma-what?" Stella furrowed her brow.

"_Shh_," Tony crushed her to his chest again in a way too tight fatherly hug. "Let's just not talk. Hug it out."

"Blasting people through walls bad," she mumbled into his shirt with a smile.

"Hugging people good," he finished with a soft smile of his own - eyes closed, perfectly content and happy as opposed to only seconds ago when he was ready to swan dive off the Empire State Building _sans_ super suit.

"It is my turn to show my happiness of the star woman's return!" Thor proclaimed while _literally_ picking Tony up by the shoulders and setting him down away from Stella.

"Thank the _Norns_ that you are unharmed!" The god said as he flung his arms around the petite pink haired woman.

Steve was next and he hugged her with great force like Thor had (well, maybe not _quite_ like Thor had), "It's good to have you back, Stell. We...we thought you didn't...it's just great to see you."

Clint pushed his way in, "Thought I had lost my biggest fan." His joke didn't betray the fact that he had been silently beating himself up over what he could have done better to save his friend.

"Stella."

Stella looked past Clint and saw Natasha approaching the group. The assassin looked hesitant as she peered around the archer. It was as if she didn't truly believe that Stella was _here_, that she was _alive_. When Natasha laid eyes on the pink haired woman they instantly became cloudy with emotion. There was nothing that could describe how truly happy she was to see Stella's smiling, albeit dirty, face. Always smiling, always happy. That was Stella for you. That was Natasha's _friend_.

"Hello, Natasha!" Stella barely had time to greet her before Natasha did something very, very out of character.

Stella's eyes widened, "Are you...are you hugging me?"

Tony looked at the pair, "If you guys could just, you know, keep doing that...that'd be really great."

Natasha rolled her eyes, still hugging Stella, "And we're back." She pulled away slightly and looked at Stella, "I'm glad you're here."

"I'm glad _you're_ here."

The two woman stared smiling at each other but were broken apart by a loud grunt.

"Hulk say hello now."

Natasha pulled away with a slight chuckle, "Of course."

Stella released the assassin and looked at the green beast in front of her. He was close, her body pressed against his chest. The Avengers all seemed to suddenly realize how close the Hulk was to her.

Clint stared at the two, piecing everything together. "You shielded her," he said to the Hulk. "You saved Stella."

Hulk looked down at the pretty pink woman. She lifted a hand and placed it on his chest, right above his heart. It was warm against his skin and he felt his rage ebb. Bruce was desperate to come out. Bruce wanted to see her. Bruce wanted to hold her.

"Hulk save Stella," he said proudly, feeling the pull of the scientist from deep within him. He didn't have much time left before his anger disapated and he went away. He just wanted to tell her one thing before he let go.

"Hulk like Stella." His voice was firm and held a finality to it as he proclaimed his feelings, puffing his chest out.

Stella sniffled and let the steady _thump thump_ of his heart calm her, "Stella likes Hulk."

Hulk leaned down and gathered her in his arms quickly, releasing her after a brief second, "Hulk keep Stella safe."

Stella started crying now, happy tears trailing down her pale cheeks, "Yes, and you always have."

Hulk nodded to himself, satisfied with her answer, before his eyes rolled back into his head and he slumped forward. His body began to contort and shrink, muscle cracking sickeningly. The Avengers weren't all that used to Hulk's transformation yet and Steve had to look away, afraid he would throw up or do something else equally as embarassing.

Stella couldn't move, her body still pretty much trapped beneath the rubble, so she merely stayed put and waited for the switch to be over with. Nothing could compare to how she felt anticipating seeing him again. Bruce. _Her_ Bruce. They both survived and they were both okay. They were okay!

After what seemed like hours but in reality was only less than a minute, a disheveled, soot covered Bruce Banner shyly smiled back at her. He was tired beyond belief but the elation he felt at seeing Stella in front of him and _alive_ was more than enough to keep him awake.

Stella reached forward and took his hand timidly. Bruce blushed as he gripped her slender fingers in his own calloused ones. They stared at each other and Natasha had to bite back a smile at how perfect they were - perfectly awkward and shy and bashful and just _so _entirely, uniquely Bruce and Stella. The redhead couldn't let anybody know she was a slight romantic. Slight. _Slight!_

After all, love was for children. But, seeing Bruce and Stella and knowing that Stella was most definitely a child at heart, the two just _worked_.

Stella and Bruce were both covered head to toe in dust and debris, their bodies halfway encased in rubble still. Their lower halves were concealed in the ruins but their upper bodies faced each other, Stella pressed again his chest, her hand in his own. Stark Tower was smoking all around them. Dirt was settling and little pieces of the building were sliding off of haphazard piles here and there. It was a chaotic scene. The firefighters were parked nearby, awaiting their turn to go in and assess the damage. They just didn't want to interrupt the Avengers since that would be ill advised, as they had learned.

The entire scene was a mess of destruction and yet Bruce and Stella sat smack dab in the middle, holding hands and smiling at each other. Bruce didn't have a damn care in the world at that moment. Before he had hulked out he had been certain he would never get to have a future with Stella. Now everything, _anything_ seemed possible. He couldn't believe his luck. For the first time in a long time something truly wonderful and good had happened to Bruce Banner.

And her name was Stella.

"Stella," Fury approached the group, secretly glad to see that his newest Avenger was alright, "good to have you back."

Stella didn't let go of Bruce but nodded her head and then said sheepishly, "I apologize for destroying Stark Tower."

Fury actually chuckled. Steve's eyes went wide as he heard the sound escape his director's mouth. Clint and Natasha sent silent glances at each other, smirking at the effect the pink haired woman had on their boss. Tony was too busy lamely trying to reassemble pieces of debris from his precious tower and Thor just thought the entire situation was so marvelous that he chuckled as well. Victory was theirs! What joyous news!

Fury shrugged, "Stark can just build us a new one."

Bruce chuckled and looked at Stella again, placing a warm kiss on her forehead. He was just so hap- wait a minute. A blush instantly came upon his face as he looked _anywhere_ but down.

"Stella, ah, uh, are you naked?"

Stella looked down, "Oh my..."

A crash sounded from behind them and they all turned to see Tony staring at an even _more_ ruined piece of the former Stark Tower 2.0.

"That's _it_!" He exclaimed, turning to the Avengers with exasperation written all over his face.

"We are _getting_ a mansion!"

* * *

**:3 Hooray! Everything is okay! _Psssh_, guys, how could I kill off Stella? I don't even think I'd be able to write that. Also, I didn't have Bruce and Stella have a huge romantic over the top slop-fest of kissing because that's totally not them. I think staring at each other with love and disbelief that they both survived is much more suiting to their awkwardness.**

**Also, Uatu is NOT an original character either. He's from the Marvel-verse, specifically Fantastic Four, but i wanted to use him. He'll be important. And the way that Fury knew to put Stella in the vat pays homage to how the F4 beat Molecule Man in the comics with the help of Alicia Masters :] Cool, huh?**

**Anywho, one more chapter left and then we're on our way to the sequel! I'm also almost 100 percent on starting that companion piece of one shots. There's a lot of time that passes between a couple of chapters in CYSM? and I'd like to write about their antics in those days.**

**As always, I love you all to pieces and can't possibly express how much in this author's note. Y'all are amazing and i just want to fall on the floor in a sobbing mess from all of the positivity and praise! Mwah, mwah, mwah! Hugs and kisses to all!**

**Stay tuned!**

**xx Nikki**


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Marvel. Only Stella and the plot are mine.

* * *

**[The Day of the Acme Atomics Corporation Explosion, Location: Blue of the Moon.]**

Uatu watched Earth from his post. It was becoming tedious now. Billions of years had passed since his father, Ikor, had passed the decree stating that no Watcher should ever interfere with the disputes and goings on of other lesser races. He had adhered to his father's commands for quite some time now. Earth was a very pitiful place though, and he didn't know how much longer he could watch them suffer.

But he had sat alone in this old abandoned place, tasked with the job of observing the humans of Earth for all eternity. He had been good for so long. Idly he sat by and watched as Troy was destroyed, Rome was sacked, London was burned, the Jewish were brutally persecuted. He watched Hiroshima explode; he saw the Trade Centers fall. Every human born disaster Uatu had sat by and let happen. He never intervened and that fact ate away at him for years and years. He could help - he could _save_ these poor pathetic humans that he had grown so fond of. They weren't all bad, most of them. There was a need to do good that many of them possessed and they just didn't have the means to carry it out.

He desperately wanted to give them those means.

A stirring in a certain quadrant of Earth caught his eye and he focused his keen vision down upon it like a satellite zooming in on a specific location. His eyes widened slightly and he clenched his jaw.

"No," he whispered as he watched the events unfold.

The itching to help now became a powerful prodding, thrumming against his every fiber. His hands shook ever so slightly, his cool and calm composure slowly breaking as he deliberated what to do.

It had been eons since he had taken his oath and had sworn not to intervene.

He tapped his foot on the ground. It had been _eons_.

So many deaths he had watched and done _nothing_ to stop them.

Uatu's face was set in fierce determination as he lifted off the dusty ground of the Moon and shot out into space.

"Not today," he said as he rocketed forward towards a floating satellite that he had had his eyes on for many years now.

Uatu would interfere today. He would not idly stand by. He would go against the decree of his father. From what he had observed of the humans thus far, everyone had daddy issues.

Uatu supposed he should join the ranks.

He reached the satellite and used his psionic powers to propel it towards Earth. The Watcher followed closely, returning to his place on the Moon after he had pushed the capsule into Earth's gravitational field. By his calculations it would take the vessel nearly two days to find it's way into the planet's atmosphere. When that happened, he knew exactly where he would put her.

"Time to shine, little one."

In two days Uatu was sure that a certain genius billionaire's life would change forever.

* * *

**[The Day of the Acme Atomics Corporation Explosion. Brooklyn, New York.]**

Owen was out cold. The first explosion from the particle generator had just blasted him and not a single soul was around to come to his aid - not like they'd have made it out alive if they had.

Directly after the first blast the generator backfired and a sputtering noise came from the barrel. The machine charged up again and fired a flat white disc of energy that hovered in mid air almost like a doorway. Slowly, the disc spread into an oval and an otherworldly being stepped out. A different dimension lay on the other side of the cosmic doorway but was immediately sealed off when the hole closed up.

The figure that emerged was lean and tall. His body was completely blue, no visible skin or features - just pure Tesseract power. He was a walking body of energy inside and out.

Slowly, his form became corporeal. He took on the form of a human being and grunted, stepping over the unconscious body of Owen Reece.

He ascended the stairs, just narrowly missing the lab techs rushing down to see what the explosion was all about, and exited the nuclear plant. Once outside he breathed in the Earthly air and smirked to himself. For far too long he had waited for this day. Who knew that a foolish lab tech would grant him his wish? He would finally teach these humans what it felt like to be complete, to be in total power. He would introduce the type of rule that he knew was best for such pitiful creatures.

And he knew just where to start.

From his hand dropped a token that he had held on to for many years now. He had kept it from way back when the most interesting creature he had ever laid eyes on had been pulled into his realm. After his keepers were finished their experiments they had sent the creature away but he had kept this small and strange object as a memory of the incomplete little thing that had cried and screamed pathetically as the race that harbored him had tried to make improvements. Yes, that was where he would start.

He would teach her a lesson first.

He was coming for her.

The short chain was held tight in his hand as the pendant dangled freely. He brought it up to his face and his now human eyes scanned the letters molded from the silver.

**Stark Industries_._**

* * *

**[Two Days Later. Location: Blue of the Moon.]**

Uatu watched as the satellite crashed to Earth.

"_What the hell was that?_" Uatu heard from down below.

"_A human being has just landed on your hood, sir."_

"_WHAT._"

Uatu folded his arms across his chest as he gazed upon the scene on the busy New York City street. This was the first time he had broken his oath. He would not know until much later that he would break it again - and both times for the same tiny, innocent, and naive pink haired woman.

"_Keep this on!"_ Uatu watched Tony Stark order the naked woman embedded in the hood of his Bentley, "_You're showing everybody your...you have no idea what I'm saying, do you?_"

The ghost of a smile appeared on the Watcher's stoic face.

"You are now where you belong, little one. Welcome home."

* * *

**That's all folks :] The end of 'Can You Save Me?'!**

**Sorry this took so long to get out. I got super sick and schoolwork has been _brutal_ so I haven't had time to update. **

**In true Marvel fashion this chapter is sort of the scene after the credits. Don't worry, in the first few chapters of the sequel all of your unanswered questions will be answered. I'm going to be posting that in a few weeks. I want to get a head start at writing so I have a bunch of chapters ready for you guys - if you all still want to stick around!**

**Also, I've decided to do a companion piece of one shots detailing the little things in Stella's life (i.e. the learning processes and domestic Avengers stuff). I think it will be fun and full of awkward fluff and stuff like that. If you have anything in particular you'd like to read about, let me know! :]**

**Note that Uatu _and_ the character that I have not named in this chapter are both Marvel characters and NOT mine. I will, however, take some liberties with the new character's storyline. You'll see ;]**

**And to conclude, thank you thank you thank you to each and every person who has been with this story and sent me wonderful reviews and just generally been incredibly supportive this entire time. I send you all love from the very bottom of my heart. This was so amazing and I can't believe how many reviews this story received! The amount of followers and favorites have blown my mind too. And CYSM? made it into four communities! Thank you so much to those who added Stella's story :] This means the world to me! So for now, I bid you all farewell, but put me on your alerts if you want to stick around! Thank you all again!**

**Stay tuned :]**

**xx Nikki**


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